South 24-Parganas to use water drones for rescue ops during Gangasagar fair
The Statesman | 6 January 2026
In a major boost to safety and disaster preparedness, the South 24-Parganas district administration is set to deploy advanced water drones for underwater rescue operations during the Gangasagar Mela, coinciding with the holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal. A mock drill and test drive was conducted today near Bay of Bengal confluence. District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Meena said the move has been taken in view of the expected massive turnout of pilgrims this year.
“A huge congregation is anticipated, with devotees taking the holy dip at four to five ghats. To effectively handle any disaster or emergency situation, water drones will be deployed for rescue operations,” he said. The water drone is capable of towing up to 1,000 kg (one tonne), enabling it to assist multiple survivors simultaneously or pull life rafts during emergencies. Officials said the technology has already proved effective in countries like Australia, where water drones are used to detect sharks and ensure swimmer safety. For the first time, such technology will be used extensively at the Gangasagar Mela for rescue purposes.
India’s Indian Rescue Academy has also introduced a water drone named ITUS’, which can carry loads of up to 100 kg and perform rescue operations even in strong currents. Similar underwater drone technology is being explored by the Odisha fire services department to locate missing persons in high-risk areas such as the Puri sea beach. Mr Meena described the drone to be used at Gangasagar as “highly powerful and technologically advanced,” capable of operating in adverse riverine and sea conditions.
According to administration sources, the Gangasagar Mela will be held from 10 January to 17 January, 2026, centred around the Kapil Muni Ashram premises in South 24-Parganas. This year’s mela could be the largest ever, with more than 1.5 crore pilgrims expected, claimed Mahant Sanjay Das, successor of the chief priest Swami Gyandas Maharaj. He said the absence of the Kumbh Mela this year is likely to lead to a surge in pilgrim footfall at Gangasagar. To prevent accidents on river and road routes and to ensure real-time information flow, stringent surveillance measures have been put in place. With support from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the administration has implemented advanced GPS-based navigation and monitoring systems to assist pilgrims and manage crowd movement.
Complete monitoring is being conducted from the Sagar Mega Control Room, which maintains round-the-clock vigilance through live video feeds. This system will also help ensure that vessels and barges do not lose direction during dense fog conditions. As part of enhanced security arrangements, 1,200 CCTV cameras have been installed from Lot No. 8 to the mela grounds to provide accurate crowd-density data.
Additionally, 20 drones will conduct aerial surveillance across the entire fair area. The District Magistrate is personally supervising operations from the control room. For ferry services, a total of 21 jetties have been made operational, including 10 permanent jetties at Lot No. 8 and Namkhana, along with 11 temporary jetties. The river transport fleet includes 13 barges, 45 vessels and 100 wooden launches.
Meanwhile, the state secretariat Nabanna has deployed around 2,500 buses to ferry pilgrims directly from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Howrah and Sealdah railway stations, and major bus terminals across Kolkata to the mela site. Officials said all arrangements have been finalised to ensure a safe, smooth and incident-free Gangasagar Mela.