Ahead of monsoon, flood prediction in Meenachil goes hi-tech

Starting June 5, a mobile app will update the public on the real-time water level, rain fall data and flood risk predictions in the area.

With just a few days for the monsoon to set in over Kerala, a group of conservationists have joined hands to come up with a unique, hi-tech flood alert system for the Meenachil — a river that has ploughed past its banks every rainy season since 2018. Thanks to the Meenachil River Protection Council (MRPC), a mobile app that will update the public on the real-time water level, rain fall data and flood risk predictions will become operational on June 5. The app, developed by a team of technical experts led by Jubilant Job, an engineering college teacher, will start off by providing real-time reports of the water level in the water body and move to an Artificial Intelligence-based model to show where flooding may occur over a range of water levels and the extend of the predicted flood. “To begin with, we have developed algorithms by combining the data sets on rainfall and water level recorded across the Meenachil basin in different periods over the past one year. The accuracy of the predictions , however, can be improved overtime with more data'', noted Mr Job.