Dubai has gained a reputation as both a center for wealth and excess as well as a city where even relatively minor illegal acts can have major consequences. Now one component of the city’s enforcement efforts will be backed by the latest technology in remote-controlled technology: drones.
The Dubai Municipality’s Waste Management Department plans to deploy an entire fleet of drones to police the city’s litterers.
Currently, just one drone is operation, but two additional drones will be added later this year. The drones will monitor waste dump sites, beaches and desert camp sites for sanitation law violators.
The new role of drones in Dubai’s enforcement is important because littering laws there are fairly strict. Repeat offenders who toss cigarette butts into the street can rack up hundreds of dollars in fines. Similarly, the laws against spitting in public can also incur hefty fines.
“The main beneficial factor is the amount of time these drones can save,” Abdul Majeed Al Saifaie, director of the Waste Management Department, told the UAE-based Gulf News. “Instead of having municipality inspectors driving across the city, the drones will be able to fly directly to a number of different locations within a short time, and provide us with data and high-resolution photographs.”
However, Dubai’s new drone enforcement doesn’t mean the city is a playground for drone enthusiasts. Rules for individual drone use in Dubai prohibit the use of drones at night, near buildings, people or near airports. Commercial drone use is still not allowed.