Impact Summary

The India Collaboratory goal is to improve water security in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi by promoting sustainable and innovative practices like Water Sensitive Planning (WSP). Key initiatives include developing mobile applications such as AAB Prahari for flood monitoring, and identifying water risks and vulnerabilities using scientific evidence based hydrological/hydraulic modelling.

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), and School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi (SPA) are actively involved in partnerships, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. Within the India Collaboratory, these two institutions focus on technology transfer and creating frameworks for monitoring and evaluation, which are essential for enhancing the technical capabilities of water managers across various organizations in the NCT of Delhi. Janya Collective, our NGO partner has widened the impact by localising water-secure strategies and building water-secure infrastructure in informal communities along Barapullah Drain.

Through these collaborative efforts, the project has empowered water managers with the tools and knowledge needed to implement effective water management strategies and ensure long-term water security for the region.

Our Approach/Framing

The India Collaboratory employs a systems-thinking approach, emphasizing model-driven analysis to tackle the complex interactions between climate change, water resources, and socio-economic factors. Our research extends into social sciences, exploring the intricate social, political, economic, and environmental systems that are challenging to fully understand and quantify. Despite these challenges, we remain committed to uncovering obscure connections and functions within Delhi's water system to advance our goals.

The India Collaboratory brings together a diverse group of multidisciplinary experts, including engineers, planners, architects, geographers, and development practitioners. We collaborate within and across Collaboratories in the Hub to holistically address water (in)security. By integrating global expertise and sharing insights, we aim to enhance stakeholder capacity, ensure sustainable basin management, and achieve scalable solutions that can be applied beyond the NCT of Delhi.