Delhi Jal Board turns to AI for water infra management, signs MoU with IIT Kanpur

As per an official statement, IIT Kanpur and DJB will collaborate on research, data integration, and the deployment of advanced AI technologies to modernise and streamline the city’s water and wastewater management systems.

Under the collaboration, the key focus will be on developing AI-driven and data-based solutions to tackle challenges such as non-revenue water reduction, predictive maintenance, and real-time monitoring of Water and Sewage Treatment Plants.

Further, Digital Twin technology will be leveraged to create virtual replicas of DJB’s water systems, which will aid in “enabling early detection of leakages, pressure drops, and system inefficiencies,” the statement said.

In addition, the project aims to build AI-enabled public grievance redressal and revenue management systems to ensure faster complaint resolution and more accurate billing.

The initiative will also support the Clean Yamuna Mission through AI-aided monitoring of wastewater discharge and pollution sources, helping reduce untreated sewage flow into the river.

The partnership will extend to groundwater management as well. “AI-assisted groundwater monitoring and recharge planning will integrate data from borewells, sensors, and satellite imagery to enable real-time tracking and sustainable management of Delhi’s aquifers,” the statement noted. Predictive analytics and simulations, it added, will help DJB make informed decisions about water demand, recharge zones, and long-term resource security.

The statement also underlined that data privacy and ownership will remain with the DJB, with all activities carried out in compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other applicable laws. The collaboration, it said, emphasises transparency, accountability, and citizen-focused innovation in public service delivery.

Describing the project as the “future of urban water management”, Delhi Water Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said, “These tools will help us detect problems before they happen, improve efficiency from supply to billing, and most importantly, rebuild citizens’ trust in public service delivery.”

The Chief Executive Officer of DJB will serve as the Project Director, overseeing coordination and implementation. A nodal officer will also be appointed to work with ARF’s technical team, said officials.