With the most recent meteorological information available, these tools help Mumbai residents arrange their daily activities more efficiently during the monsoon season.
Two new online platforms have been launched by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) with the purpose of monitoring floods throughout the monsoon season and predicting hyperlocal rainfall. A group of students, teachers, and staff from IIT-B’s Interdisciplinary Programme in Climate Studies (IDPCS) developed these creative tools with the specific goal of giving Mumbai people access to immediate weather and flood updates.
As per many media sources, real-time data on rainfall and waterlogging may be accessed through the Mumbai Flood app and the website www.mumbaiflood.in. With the most recent meteorological information available, these tools help Mumbai residents arrange their daily activities more efficiently during the monsoon season.
The system gathers meteorological information from multiple sources, such as the Marine Lines and Colaba, Santacruz, and Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) observatories. More than sixty automated weather and precipitation monitoring stations located around Mumbai and its environs contribute to this data.
These platforms create hyperlocal rainfall forecasts by combining machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) models with global forecasting systems (GFS). The rainfall page on the website and app provides hourly projections for the following 24 hours to residents.
The websites not only offer weather forecasts but also real-time water level information from nine Mumbai neighborhoods that are vulnerable to flooding. These monitoring stations provide customers with reliable information about possible flooding and waterlogging because their data is updated almost instantly.
Collecting crowdsourced data is one of the system’s distinctive features. By using the web portal or app, residents can report the water levels in their neighborhoods and contribute to the development of a more complete flood control system.
Importantly for Mumbai commuters, the technology also monitors monsoon-related problems at nearby train stations. The algorithm also keeps an eye on social media posts that use the hashtag #MumbaiRains, which helps it determine how the general population feels about the monsoon.
Development of projects and community engagement
This initiative is supported by HDFC ERGO and is a component of the HE-IITB (HDFC-ERGO IIT Bombay) Innovation Lab. With a heavy emphasis on community interaction, the platforms were developed in partnership with the MCGM Centre for Municipal Capacity Building and Research (MCMCR).
The convener of IIT Bombay’s climate studies program, Subimal Ghosh, stressed the value of community involvement. “Mumbaikars have created this app for Mumbaikars.” According to Hindustan Times, Ghosh stated, “The information we gather with this app will assist government agencies in creating a flood management plan for the upcoming season.”
Weather alerts and upcoming safety measures
The Regional Meteorological Department (RMC) issued an orange alert for Mumbai and the surrounding areas, including Thane, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Palghar, Satara, and Kolhapur, due to the city’s severe rains. This monsoon season, Mumbai has received above 1,000 mm of rainfall, prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to issue a high tide warning.
The software, which is now limited to Android users, invites locals to contribute to data collecting, assisting authorities in better managing flood scenarios in the future.
With the launch of these platforms, Mumbai’s ability to withstand flooding caused by the monsoon has significantly improved. IIT Bombay’s effort attempts to give locals precise, up-to-date information that can assist them stay safe throughout the rainy season by fusing cutting-edge technology with community-driven data collection.
