Maldives to deploy drones to fight fires in high-rise buildings

Defense Minister Hassan Rasheed, on Sunday night, revealed that preparations are underway to deploy drones to control and extinguish fires in high-rise buildings.

During the "Ahaa" public forum, a citizen asked about measures being taken in Malé to prevent fire incidents and efforts to minimize significant losses when such incidents occur.

Responding to the questions, the Minister said the military remains in a constant state of readiness to protect the nation and its citizens from fires and other potential hazards across the Maldives.

The Minister noted that fire incidents have been increasing in frequency, attributing the trend primarily to living conditions and the challenges associated with high-density urban environments. He identified severe congestion and unsafe, unorganised electrical wiring, which can result in short circuits, as key factors contributing to frequent fires in Malé.

"We are currently planning—and experiments have already been conducted in Malé—to use drones for firefighting in high-rise buildings. I believe we will be able to launch this operation by the end of this year or early next year," the Minister said.

The Minister also highlighted challenges such as vehicles being parked over fire hydrants and the difficulty fire trucks face when navigating narrow streets and alleyways. However, he said the Malé street redevelopment project, being implemented with assistance from China, is expected to provide a long-term solution to these issues.

He further said the government plans to introduce specific standards for gas regulators to address concerns over varying product quality in the market and prohibit the use of equipment that fails to meet the required standards.

The Minister added that discussions are underway with gas suppliers to improve the safety of gas cylinder handling and storage in homes. He also noted that several public awareness programmes are being conducted to educate the community on fire safety.

The Minister’s remarks come amid several major fire incidents in Malé that have caused significant property damage and loss of life.