IITH initiates a groundbreaking endeavor to tackle persistent issue of urban flooding in Hyderabad

♦ Efforts have been made to understand the climatological aspects of rainfall and flood drivers, as well as the utilization of different types of rainfall products.

♦ Introduces data collection platforms with an emphasis on citizen's involvement via SnapFloodTM and Twitter (SnapFlood).

♦ Releases VarshaMitra, a mascot, illustrating the data collection aspect.

Hyderabad: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) are embarking on an innovative journey to address the longstanding challenge of urban flooding in Hyderabad. The team, led by Dr Satish Kumar Regonda, is developing an Urban Flood Information System (UFIS) to minimize the effects of floods in the city of Hyderabad. The focus in setting up UFIS is the collection of flood-relevant data, understanding of the collected data, employing modeling techniques to simulate as well as forecast rainfall amounts, flood depths and its extent, and development of products as per the needs of policymakers and stakeholders.

The absence of key input data, for example, rainfall at finer intervals, flood flow measurements, etc., hinders flood modelling efforts. Therefore, one of the preliminary tasks for setting a reliable UFIS is to have a medium through which flood-related data can be collected. In this regard, SnapFloodTM was envisioned to provide a platform for the citizens to provide flood-relevant information data, which may become an integral part of the UFIS data in the future. Efforts are also directed to social media platforms such as Twitter to yield flood information. In fact, one of the first works for the city of Hyderabad, which used the Twitter platform to identify flood hotspots, was presented at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in the year 2021.

Research scholars from Dr Satish's research group, Rainfall-runoff Analysis modeling and Forecasting Tools (RAFT) have worked in multiple dimensions to address the aspect of urban floods in Hyderabad. Mohammed Azharuddin focused on climatological aspects of rainfall and understanding of weather patterns that bring rain to Hyderabad. Ponukumati Padmini examined alternate rainfall products for their utility in flood-relevant applications for the city of Hyderabad.

Many works are in the pipeline, including weather, hydrology and hydraulic modeling at an urban scale, as well as real-time flood information dissemination through social media platforms. Further, as the UFIS project gains momentum, efforts are extended to developing different components of the UFIS. Thus, the research efforts are dedicated to improving the city's resilience to floods and ensuring the safety and well-being of its residents. This research exemplifies the institution's commitment to innovation and societal impact.

Complementing the team efforts, Prof B S Murty, Director IITH, said, "The UFIS project is a testament to our commitment to address real-world challenges through cutting-edge research. By bringing together experts from various domains and collaborating with government agencies, we aim to create a transformative solution that will benefit not only Hyderabad but also serve as a model for other flood-prone cities in the country."

Elaborating on the aim of the study, Dr Satish Kumar Regonda, Lead Researcher and Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering & Climate Change, IITH, said, "As a child, I used to like rain, and when it rains a significant amount, no school on that day, who does not like it? I do like rain now, too, and I do realize that its consequences are huge, particularly when it rains heavily. Rain that brings floods puts the city at a standstill, causing damages of different types, including human losses. This highlights the need to develop systems such as UFIS, which makes cities to be flood resilient via integrating meteorological, hydrological and stakeholders’ relevant aspects and develops products which may enhance flood awareness."