The IIT Delhi Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) previously collaborated to launch the ‘Water Security Hub’ project. It seeks to create new approaches to addressing the challenges and barriers to water security and sustainable development in Delhi’s National Capital Territory (NCT). The UKRI is funding the project through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
To address waterlogging issues in urban areas during the monsoon, the Water Security Hub project has now launched a mobile application called “IITD Aab Prahari.” The app is currently available on Google Play and will be available on the iOS app store very soon. The app is currently being deployed for the NCT of Delhi, but it is generic enough to be used in other geographic settings.
IITD Aab Prahari mobile application system
The ‘IITD Aab Prahari’ mobile application system allows communities and individuals to report real-time flooding in and around their surroundings by capturing waterlogging data and uploading it to a central server. Through the validation of their model, the information provided by citizens will assist researchers at the Water Security Hub in the effective development and deployment of an early warning system to predict urban floods. The goal is to assist the local administration in taking quick action to mitigate the flooding situation.
AK Gosain, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Delhi, and the lead researcher for the UKRI GCRF Project, said, “IITD Aab Prahari mobile application uses the citizen science approach. This mobile app could change the way communities and governments deal with floods,”
Website called Jalsuraksha also launched
On the occasion, a website called “Jalsuraksha” was also launched. The website serves as a single platform for all information related to the Water Security Hub team’s research work at IIT Delhi to ensure water security in the NCT of Delhi. The website interactively displays IITD-Toolboxes and research products via GIS-based Decision Support System frameworks. These frameworks address technical, environmental, and social issues while also providing policy support.
Dhanya CT, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Delhi and Principal Investigator of the Hub in IIT Delhi, explained, “Through this project, we are engaged in the creation of system frameworks in collaboration with the Hub and the other concerned stakeholders for planning, monitoring, and assessment of water resources using an integrated approach.”
