The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) is developing a mobile application which provides near real-time data on rain forecasts and flood forecasts for Bengaluru city. According to KSNDMC, the mobile app is developed in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The KSNDMC has already launched the ‘Sidilu’ app that predicts lightning and thunderstorms in advance and sends location-specific warnings to mobile users to protect themselves. Speaking to Indianexpress.com, director of KSNDMC G S Srinivas Reddy said, “The app will give details about the flood forecast and rain forecast for Bengaluru city. The users will get alerts, and the low lying areas in the city will be highlighted in the app." The KSNDMC’s 100 rain gauge sensors in Bengaluru city will be integrated into the app. Along with the help of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) 25 drain sensors tracking stormwater drains will also be integrated into the app. "The sensors on top of drains will sense if the water is overflowing and alert the BBMP officials to take precautionary measures," he added. The emergency contacts of BBMP will also be added in the application so that residents can contact them directly to lodge complaints about rain-related issues. The citizens can also upload pictures of any rain-related issues in the app.
