DURBAN, South Africa. Sept 7 (Interfax) - The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry is ready to share practices of using space technologies, unmanned aerial vehicles and early warning systems for the prevention and mitigation of emergencies, including floods, with South Africa, Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov said.
"Russia is quite experienced in the prevention and mitigation of emergencies. We use space technologies and unmanned aerial vehicles to draw so-called orthophotomaps and combine them with forecasts of precipitation and risks of floods, earthquakes or even tsunamis. Such forecasts may be accurate up to a particular house. We will gladly share such technologies with colleagues," Kurenkov said while visiting the South African National Disaster Management Center.
The most important goal is to save human lives, and Russia is able to warn people about looming emergencies, provide timely evacuation and keep people safe, Kurenkov said. "Russia has made a lot of progress and possesses an emergency early warning system, uses drones to mitigate emergencies, and is ready to share such practices," he said.
In turn, Durban Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni said that the city was interested in building an effective emergency prevention and mitigation system relevant to modern requirements, threats and challenges. "We are hoping for cooperation because many emergencies are the same for both countries. We also count on cooperation, especially with sister cities in Russia," she said.
Kurenkov is on a working visit to Durban, South Africa, on September 7-8. He will take part in a meeting of the BRICS working group on the prevention and mitigation of emergencies.
Kurenkov visited the Durban fire department and the water rescue center and familiarized himself with the practices and techniques of colleagues on the first day of his visit to South Africa.