Innovative Urban Flood Information System aims to transform city\'s resilience

Hyderabad: A team led by Dr Satish Kumar Regonda of the IIT-Hyderabad is developing an urban flood information system that is designed to mitigate the impact of floods on the city. The project will collect flood-related data, use advanced modelling techniques to predict rainfall patterns, flood depth and the extent of flooding, and will create models to meet the needs of policymakers and stakeholders.

One of the primary challenges faced in establishing a reliable UFIS is the scarcity of input data, such as high-resolution rainfall measurements and flood flow data. To bridge this gap, the team has introduced SnapFlood, a platform that encourages citizens to contribute flood-related information.

This crowdsourced data may eventually become an integral component of the UFIS. Additionally, efforts are being directed toward social media platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter), to extract flood information. In fact, Hyderabad made history by utilising Twitter to identify flood hotspots, a milestone presented at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in 2021.

The research scholars affiliated with Dr Regonda's research group, Rainfall-runoff Analysis modelling and Forecasting Tools (RAFT), have been exploring various dimensions to tackle Hyderabad floods.

Mohammed Azharuddin has focused on studying climatological aspects of rainfall and understanding weather patterns that bring rain to the city, while Ponukumati Padmini has examined alternative rainfall products for their applicability in flood-related scenarios. The ongoing research includes weather, hydrology, and hydraulic modeling at an urban scale, along with real-time flood information dissemination through social media platforms.

Dr Regonda shared his vision, saying, "Flooding disrupts cities, causing various types of damage, including loss of life. This highlights the necessity for systems like UFIS, which enhance a city's resilience to floods by integrating meteorological, hydrological, and stakeholders' aspects, ultimately developing products that raise flood awareness."

The UFIS project enjoys the support of key entities, including the GHMC, IMD, TS Development Planning Society (TSDPS), irrigation department and the Central Water Commission (CWC) among others.