Delhi govt partners with IIT Kanpur for AI driven water management in national capital

New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) The Delhi government is collaborating with IIT Kanpur to develop the country’s first artificial intelligence (AI)-driven urban water management model.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on Wednesday between the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and IIT Kanpur’s Airawat Research Foundation (ARF), India’s National AI Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Cities, an official statement said.

Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, senior DJB officials and representatives of IIT Kanpur Foundation attended the signing ceremony, the statement said.

The collaboration is non-financial and non-binding, with both institutions committing to research, data integration and the deployment of AI technologies to modernise and streamline Delhi’s water and wastewater management systems, it added.

Under the partnership, DJB and ARF will jointly design and deploy AI and data-driven solutions to address urban challenges such as non-revenue water reduction, predictive maintenance of infrastructure and real-time monitoring of water and sewage treatment plants.

The initiative also aims to create AI-enabled grievance redressal and revenue management systems to ensure faster responses to citizen complaints, improve billing accuracy and enhance customer satisfaction.

It will further support the Clean Yamuna Mission through AI-based monitoring of wastewater discharge and pollution sources, helping reduce the flow of untreated sewage into the Yamuna River.

The scope of collaboration also includes AI-assisted groundwater monitoring and recharge planning, integrating data from borewells, sensors and satellite imagery to track and manage Delhi’s aquifers sustainably.

“This partnership marks a decisive leap towards a data-driven, transparent and accountable water governance system in Delhi. Guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Digital India, we are embracing Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twin technologies to make water management smarter and more citizen-centric,” Singh said.

The CEO of the Delhi Jal Board will serve as project director from Delhi’s side, providing strategic oversight, while a nodal officer will coordinate with ARF’s technical team for implementation and review, the statement added. PTI VIT VIT OZ OZ