The Gauteng government is to start deploying unmanned aerial vehicles or drones to infrastructure sites to monitor delivery, safety compliance and identify blockages. It’s hoped this will help minimize corruption and ensure that projects are delivered within the set time frames.
Previously, it was found that some project managers would give wrong information that projects have been completed only to find that they were delayed with huge cost implications for government.
Small drones about the size of a water bottle will now be deployed to infrastructure project sites to monitor service delivery. The drone will be able collect data by taking aerial photographs from up in the sky and the information will be stored in a memory card which will be downloaded later.
Gauteng Infrastructure Development MEC, Jacob Mamabolo says, “With the drone, it goes to site it, takes a photo. It tells us what officials have told us, what business intelligence have told us, prima vera. Then the drone can confirm, validate and say whether the officials are telling the truth or whether they are not telling the truth. This is what the drone is doing for us.”
Through these drones the department hopes they will be able to monitor service delivery at infrastructure sites, safety compliance and identify blockages immediately. It’s also hoped this will help minimise corruption and ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.
Chief Director of Infrastructure Research in the department, Amanda Moletsane says this initiative will bare positive financial implications, “Drones saves us money. Drones are more cost effective option for collecting data onsite relative to the existing ways of collecting site information. For example – you would have project managers that need to drive out to over 340 sites. Essentially if you do calculations in terms of mileage the project manager needs to travel, the fuel that you need to manage, the fleet that you need to manage to get them out there.”
One drone costs the department R 20 000. The department is planning to have five of them. Head of the Department, Bethuel Netshiswinzhe, says they intend to create jobs especially for the youth through this drone programme.
The department says during this financial year R4.5 billion has been budgeted for 340 projects.
