Even as civic agencies are taking steps to mitigate the effect of rain this northeast monsoon, IIT-Madras, IIT- Bombay and Anna University have come together to develop a pilot flood forecast system for the city.
Flood sensors are being installed at six locations near the Adyar, Kosasthalaiyar, Cooum and Kovalam basins to record the water level.
“Already, 15 rain gauges have been installed across river basins and students are measuring water flow in the rivers,” said Balaji Narasimhan, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering Department, IIT-M.
The project is being taken up with funds from the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. While, IIT-M is developing a hydrological model by which it would predict the quantum of flow in the rivers, Anna University is developing the digital terrain model and mapping the storm water drain network. IIT-B is involved in improving the rainfall forecast estimates in collaboration with the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.
“We will develop a numerical model and have it calibrated so that when rainfall is forecast, we can predict how much water will flow in the river. We hope to have an operational pilot flood forecasting system for Chennai rivers by the 2018 monsoon season. It would provide advance notice to line departments to take steps including evacuating people living close to rivers or timing water release from reservoirs,” he said.