The IIT Delhi’s Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) had collaborated earlier to launch a project named ‘Water Security Hub’. It aims to develop new approaches to tackle the challenges and barriers to water security and sustainable development in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. The project is funded by the UKRI through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

The Water Security Hub project has now launched a mobile application named “IITD Aab Prahari” to address waterlogging issues in urban areas during the monsoon. The app is available on Google Play and very soon will be available on iOS app store also. The current plan is to deploy the app for the NCT of Delhi, however, the app is generic enough to be used in other geographic settings.

In the ‘IITD Aab Prahari’ mobile application system, communities and individuals are facilitated to report the real-time incidence of flooding, in and around their surroundings, by capturing the waterlogging information and uploading it to a central server. The information fed by the citizens will help the researchers at the Water Security Hub in the effective development and deployment of an early warning system to predict urban floods through the validation of their model. The aim is to help the local administration so that it can take 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,"

A website named “Jalsuraksha” was also launched on the occasion. The website serves as a single platform with all the information related to the research work undertaken by the Water Security Hub team at IIT Delhi to ensure water security in the NCT of Delhi. The website interactively showcases IITD-Toolboxes and research products through GIS-based frameworks for Decision Support Systems. These frameworks address technical, environmental, and social issues and support policymaking.

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."