Can a metre predict floods?

Waterlogging is one of lifersquos certainties if you live in the city of dreams Every year the civic body conjures a new solution to the problem and each year the monsoons laugh at it This time Wadalabased entrepreneur and engineer Ankur Puranik may win the matchThe 41yearold amateur weather analyst has designed FloodOMeter an autoactivated waterlogging detection measurement and reporting system The portable device 25 of which have already been installed in various spots such as Dadarrsquos Hindu Colony and Star Cinema in Mazagaon can detect waterlogging and avoid resultant problems including traffic snarlsldquoIt is a cylindrical device with a donutshaped disk float with a microcontroller attached to itrdquo Puranik explains ldquoIt gets activated automatically as water accumulates The disk floats up and down the cylinder as per the water level the microcontroller reads the movement and sends data to the BMC Brihanmumbai Municipal CorporationrdquoAlso read Mumbai BMC installs 25 rainwater detection meters to measure flood lines at chronic waterlogging spotsThis is space technology compared to the crude manual methods used by authorities currently ldquoWater is currently being measured in terms such as kneedeep waistlevel or chestlevelrdquo says Puranik ldquoSome places have measuring scales but the reading is in feet this device measures in inches giving an accurate picturerdquoDuring heavy rainfall BMC needs dynamic information on water levelmdashhow efficiently itrsquos draining away or whether the level is increasing dangerously Puranikrsquos device does this The civic body has purchased the patented technology for Rs 232 crore including 100 devices the dashboard and a contract for threeyear maintenance It is now confident of issuing necessary warnings say alerting a school to remain shut divert traffic or close a roadldquoThis device will help map waterlogging in the entire cityrdquo says Puranik ldquoThe dashboard receives data at an interval of 15 minutes This includes the time water accumulation began the current level the speed at which it is rising or receding and location This information is also available in the form of graphs which analyse the time of the highest level areas that need intervention etc Another window gives them measurement of rainfall in millimetres at the crucial locationrdquo Hope is that this data can also be used by disaster management teams meteorologists and scientists to study the annual problem in depthThis isnrsquot Puranikrsquos first device He has designed an automated weather station for the Railways and he also claims to have created the first madeinIndia oxygen concentrator during the COVID19 pandemic The idea for the latest device struck him during the pandemic and from the depths of his own struggles during the monsoon season ldquoThe problem is we donrsquot know what the level of water is and whether we should take our car out or backrdquo he says ldquoWhen I searched for solutions online I couldnrsquot find much That led me to conceive a device that measures water levelrdquoFor a living Puranik designs develops and manufactures equipment for the defence Indian Railways police disaster management and the BMC ldquoFor the Defence and police departments we have made a portable lighting solution for operations in dimlylit areas or in regions without electricityrdquo he saysHe developed the latest device within a year and by June 2021 filed for a patent Its highlight he says is that it selfactivates when water begins pooling in an area saving manpowermdashto manually activate itmdashand power during the rest of the year ldquoI have used PVC for the cylinder and not iron that would rustrdquo he says ldquoStainless steel would raise cost and seed the fear of being stolen PVC makes it portable and compact The entire unit weighs around 10 kg and has a selfcontained battery that can power the system for 50 flooded days which is more than enough On an average waterlogging lasts four to 10 daysrdquoPuranik says he has received enquiries from other states but is currently focusing on Mumbai The next step would be to reach out to the Railways as they too struggle with trains and passengers getting stranded in the middle of nowhere But will it have the last word With this yearrsquos monsoon nearing its end wersquoll only find out next June