Home » Drone News » The Government of Nepal Imposes Harsh Regulations on Drones Drone News The Government of Nepal Imposes Harsh Regulations on Drones 124 Views

A very controversial event has just taken place in Nepal, the country that was recently shaken by a massive earthquake killing thousands of people. The latest reports indicate that the Government of Nepal has banned drones following the earthquake that hit in late April.

Photograph: Olivia Harris/Reuters

This has serious implications for the drone market, as operators who would like to fly quadcopters in the country are now obliged by law to ask for permission from the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN), in order to be legally allowed to fly a drone. The Nepalese tourism ministry has stated that this regulation has been imposed after a number of complaints have been received from the country’s citizens, saying they disagree with the use of drones to collect news and pictures.

Drones Are Essential in Rescue Efforts

However, what the government and the people who filed those complains failed to see, is that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles during a disastrous event (like an earthquake) is essential in rescue efforts. With this in mind, British NGOs have used drones to assess the extent of the damage that was caused by the earthquake, but also to aid a variety of search-and-rescue operations that have been going on around the area most affected by the Nepal earthquake. The fact that drones proved to be essential in saving tons of lives after the earthquake at Nepal, proves that drones can serve many other purposes than just flying around and invading people’s privacy, as some citizens believe. Without the use of drones, chances are that the number of victims from the earthquake would’ve been much higher.

Reports also indicate that the Government of Nepal is worried about the footage that contains images of historic artifacts that could later be misused. What I, and many other people wonder, is how exactly can the picture of a historical artifact be misused? Together with this, does the privacy of one person matter more than the lives of hundreds, in the case of natural disasters, bombings and other violent events? Most of us tend to think that it does not, and this represents the idea that government should keep in mind, before imposing such drone bans in the future.

The Drone Community is Outraged Over New Quadcopter Regulations

The drone community is currently outraged, after the new drone regulations have been imposed. The fact that a larger number of countries are currently imposing drone regulations is discouraging the market, mostly due to the fact that most of these are uncalled for. While laws stating that drones shouldn’t fly too close to buildings or other people are totally understandable. But overall, flying a quadcopter shouldn’t be considered such a big deal, and the regulations imposed should be more lenient.

What do you personally think about the drone regulations by the Government of Nepal? Should people be forced to ask for permission before flying a drone? Do you think that the actions of the Nepalese government in this case are uncalled for? Let us know your thoughts!