Meghalaya’s innovative approach: AI boat to clean Umiam lake

The Meghalaya government is planning to use an AI-powered robotic boat to clean the scenic Umiam lake that is being ravaged by plastic waste, an official said on Sunday.
Umkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers, which flow through state capital Shillong, carry tonnes of plastics every day and dump them into the southern part of the lake, which is only accessible by boats, he said. “We are impressed by the demonstration given by ClearBot. They have demonstrated that they can clean the waste in the most economical way,” Health Secretary Ram Kumar, who is the nodal officer for the Smart Village Movement said. He said ClearBot, a Hongkong-based company, gave a demonstration over one week, and the self-driving boat is collecting 200 kg of waste in one session. It is one of the companies shortlisted by non-profit Smart Village Movement, which works on different projects in collaboration with the state government, called in for the demonstration.