Construction sector may need 2.5 lakh drone operators soon

The construction sector is the fastest-growing adopter of commercial drones, and is likely to require 2.5 lakh people with UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operating skills in the coming years, a report said.
Highways, roads, bridges and housing will take the lead in the usage of drones, the ECI-PwC report 'Flying high: Drones to drive jobs in the construction sector' said.

The report, based on secondary data on best practices of drone in the construction industry globally, including India, said drones can eliminate redundancies and bring in efficiency and they have a role to play at every step of the construction lifecycle.

The reason for the growth of the construction sector is that it is the fastest-growing adopter of commercial drones, according to the report.

Adoption of drones is surging at 239 per cent in this sector as builders deploy drones on job sites around the world to enhance safety, document and understand the progress at sites, enable precise planning, generate 3D maps and identify potential issues before they begin costing dearly, it said.

It can also also be used for ensuring successful prevention of accidents is periodical inspection of construction sites, the report added.

On a construction project, where new hazards are a recurrent feature, UAVs and drones can be deployed to conduct safer, faster and more accurate inspections instead of safety managers physically conducting site 'walk-throughs' to identify potential hazards, the report said.

The report said the country's drone market is estimated to reach USD 885.7 million over the next five years, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the full economic potential of drones is likely to be manifold.