Gurgaon: To address chronic waterlogging and improve flood preparedness ahead of the monsoon, MCG will begin the pilot phase of a technology-driven flood prediction and management system developed in collaboration with IIT Gandhinagar.The one-year pilot, titled “Rain-to-Resilience”, will focus on advanced flood forecasting, real-time monitoring, and data-backed decision-making. As part of the initiative, made-in-India flood-depth and drainage-health sensors will be installed at identified waterlogging hotspots across the city. The sensors will track water levels, drainage capacity, silt accumulation and blockages, with real-time data feeding into flood prediction platforms. Officials said this will enable early warnings and location-specific preventive action during heavy rainfall. This sensor network will also form the foundation for future city-wide expansion plans. During the first phase, flood-prediction software platforms such as Aqua Twin and Rain to Flood will be provided to MCG without a licence fee. The estimated cost of sensor hardware is approximately Rs 1 lakh, with total hardware expenditure in the first phase estimated at around Rs 20 lakh. All equipment will remain the property of MCG, while technical maintenance will be supervised by IIT Gandhinagar.
After a successful pilot, the second phase will focus on city-wide expansion, round-the-clock operations and advanced modelling services under a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. Officials said the annual expenditure for this phase is estimated at around Rs 30 lakh. If MCG wants to set up its own server, the cost could rise to Rs 3–5 crore.Officials said scientific modelling, system design and technical validation will be led by IIT Gandhinagar’s Machine Intelligence and Resilience Lab. The operational dashboard, 3D visualisation and user interface will be developed by IIT Gandhinagar-incubated startup AirRescue Climsol Private Limited. All administrative and disaster-management decisions will remain with the civic body, officials said.“A strict data sovereignty policy has been adopted under the project. All sensor data will be stored on secure, encrypted servers located in India and will remain under the control of MCG and IIT Gandhinagar. No foreign cloud or external server will be used,” said MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya, adding that the arrangement complies with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.Additional commissioner Yash Jaluka said the project will enable short-term flood forecasting, real-time monitoring, scientific identification of vulnerable areas, and data-driven planning in disaster management and urban planning, while also enhancing the technical capacity of municipal staff. “Prepared with ‘Made in India, Designed for Gurgaon’ thinking, the initiative aims to take the city beyond conventional drainage models to make it a smart, data-driven, and resilient city. If this pilot is successful, Gurgaon can become a national example of urban flood management in the coming years,” added Jaluka.
