Egyptian Researcher succeeds in predicting forest fires in Australia, control it in record time

CAIRO – 27 June 2022: Mina Hanin is one of the Egyptian experts living in Australia, and he was recognized for his success in predicting forest fires.

Hanin’s team success helps starting extinguishing operations within a record time, and thus, contributes to reducing losses caused by the outbreak of forest fires.

Hanin, a researcher and scientist at the Australian National University, has spoken about his research and vision on climate change, and how it affected the world.

 

In an exclusive interview with Egypt Today, Hanin said that he is part of a working team from the Australian National University trying to work on the problems caused by climate change, especially forest fires.

He revealed that work on this issue began after the summer of 2019-2020 in Australia, which was called the Black Summer because it witnessed the most forest fires in the modern Australian history, and caused more than 17 million hectares of destroyed lands and more than 20 million dollars were damaged by these fires.

He explained that the idea depends on the use of satellites and artificial intelligence to predict areas likely to witness fires. Based on the prediction, drones are sent and thermal images of the area are used to detect the locations of fires, especially by lightning.

“We found that lightning is one of the most common causes of fires in Australia, where lightning strikes trees and stays inside the tree for several days, and with climatic conditions, this causes fires with wind speeds and others,” he explained.

He continued: “Through the system that is being worked on by my research team, fires are detected within 60 seconds of their outbreak and as a result, water-loaded pipes are sent by drones, targeting these areas in a process that does not exceed 5 minutes.”

“A minute to detect fires and 5 minutes to control…and that is record,” he added.

"I have been living abroad for 10 years, during which I worked in more than one country and received two master's and doctorate degrees," Hanin said.

On climate change and its impact on the world, Hanin stressed that no one can deny the extent of the negative effects of climate change. “During the past 100 years, starting from the first industrial revolution until today, the impact of climate change on the environment is clear, represented in floods, forest fires, drought and others.”

"We must take serious steps to confront the negative effects of climate change," he added.

And about the last time he visited Egypt, he replied, “The last time I visited Egypt was last December, and I am proud of what is happening in Egypt now, and this is what the figures say about the growth rate, road quality, education and health. The numbers jump, which is evidence of the size of the achievements and progress.”

He pointed out that Egypt's hosting of the climate conference reflects Egypt's size in the region internationally, and the world's recognition of Egypt's ability to host one of the largest conferences in the world.

He indicated that he is keen to participate in this conference, especially as it is part of his work, interests and research, saying: "We must have a leading role in the region and the African continent and create a real change in the methods used to solve climate problems, and Egypt should be a role model for many countries in facing climate change."

He continued, "The international community and the entire world must be mobilized to take effective steps to solve climate problems, limit their increase, and adapt to the current conditions due to climate change."

In addition, Mina Hanin led a team to propose the same idea for the “Space Hack” innovation challenge organized by the University of New South Wales Canberra, the Canberra Innovation Network and with the support of a number of organizations, winning the third place in this innovation challenge.