Varanasi: The ancient city of Kashi has now taken another major step towards technological modernity. Under the ‘3-D Urban Spatial Digital Twin’, govt has prepared a digital replica of Kashi, which will prove extremely useful in emergencies.In the event of an incident like fire, important information such as the nearest fire station, the closest route to reach the incident site and the resources available at the fire station can be obtained by those seated in the control room, which will help in stopping the fire and rescue in time.This project was prepared at a cost of Rs. 12.5 crore, in which aircraft were also used. All departments related to the city’s development will be able to use this technology. Preliminary training related to the project has been given to the concerned departments. If information about an incident like fire is received at the right time, more lives and property can be protected. 3D mapping of 160 square kilometers of Kashi has been done, due to which every corner of the municipal corporation area will be visible on the screen.The ‘3-D Urban Spatial Digital Twin’ project, with more than 100 thematic layers, also has facilities to deal with emergencies.Varanasi Smart City chief general manager Amarendra Tiwari said that through “Light detection and ranging (LiDAR)” technology, the ‘3-D Urban Spatial Digital Twin’ project will provide real-time information. If a fire breaks out even in a crowded place or narrow lanes, information about the nearest fire station, suggestions for the closest route to reach the incident site, information about whether small or large vehicles of the fire department can reach via the route leading to the incident site can be obtained in advance, and also how many types of equipment are available at the fire station as well as information about other resources will be available beforehand, which will make it easier to control the fire.Smart City project manager Santosh Kumar Tripathi said that around 10 departments have been given training regarding this project, in which its utility, the method of use, etc. have been taught. The customized software prepared by this project will help all departments and agencies engaged in development work to make plans and implement them on the ground. For this, 3-D GIS mapping has been done by light aircraft, and by backpack and vehicle from the lanes to the roads of Varanasi.“This new technology will definitely help the fire department in emergency response. With this technology, fire vehicles can be brought to the incident site in less time and via the correct route, due to which we will be able to provide better firefighting services to the general public,” said Anand Singh Rajput, chief fire officer, Varanasi.
