Sikkim was hit by a devastating flood in October this year, causing severe distress and destruction. A lot of critical infrastructure suffered during the flood. The flood also caused a lot of places to be out of network as network connectivity was lost and many facilities were out of service. The communication services were disrupted and various key players stepped in to restore the same in the affected regions.
Telecom provider Airtel, a major service provider in the affected areas of Sikkim, noted how the floods had a major impact on its fibre optic network. This meant that users in affected areas were unable to use services. To mitigate the issue at hand, IG drones and Airtel collaborated. This was done keeping in mind the urgency to restore networks in the area by various service providers.
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Drone fleets that were equipped with specialized technology for network assessment and repairs were sent out. With the help of drone navigation, vital fibre optics were restored to ensure that users across the flood-affected region got uninterrupted connectivity.
So, how did the drones help? The drones were sent out to conduct aerial surveys and they assessed damages to fibre optic lines. This data was then used by engineers to figure out the exact location of the damages and then eventually make plans for the repairs. The precision and speed with which the IG Drones worked, helped in facilitating timely repairs and the rapid restoration of the fibre optic network.
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The joint efforts enabled quick restoration during the crisis situation and now a majority of the communication services have been restored in the north-eastern state.
