Javed Saikia, a Bengaluru-based tech entrepreneur from Assam, was working on Monday, July 20, when the news of incessant rain and heavy flooding from four districts in his home state started flashing on television channels and appearing on social media feeds.
It was the day after a rise in water levels of the Dikhow and other rivers was recorded following a few days of heavy rainfall. It led to large scale devastation, loss of lives and the displacement of thousands of residents.
Through the day, Saikia grew restless as the flooding worsened in Assam and he was at a loss how to help those affected back home.
Saikia learnt that many citizens from across Assam and outside the state had started sending money and goods to help with relief efforts. Saikia, who hails from Jorhat, one of the worst hit districts, did what he does best.
Saikia quickly developed Jal Raksha, an AI-powered tool for flood assistance using WhatsApp. With just one message, those affected could highlight their problems and NGOs, volunteer groups and drivers carrying relief could use the tool to ensure aid reached those who needed it most.
“I saw that the situation on the ground was really bad and while many had already started going to the affected districts with relief materials, it appeared they had no way of knowing what kind of materials were needed or which areas to reach. Similarly, those needing help, especially in interior areas, had no way to connect with those bringing in relief. Hence, Jal Raksha was born. It works through WhatsApp, an app which almost everyone with a smartphone uses,” said Saikia.
{{/usCountry}}“I saw that the situation on the ground was really bad and while many had already started going to the affected districts with relief materials, it appeared they had no way of knowing what kind of materials were needed or which areas to reach. Similarly, those needing help, especially in interior areas, had no way to connect with those bringing in relief. Hence, Jal Raksha was born. It works through WhatsApp, an app which almost everyone with a smartphone uses,” said Saikia.
{{/usCountry}}“At times of emergency, people have no patience or the time to fill up forms or call up multiple persons. To use Jal Raksha, one just needs to send a message to a dedicated number on WhatsApp from where they are guided to provide details about their location, a phone number, a photo of the area and a voice message about their situation and needs,” he added.
As soon as these details are received, a dashboard is created at the backend, which could be accessed by those carrying relief. Relief providers can then use those details, along with GPS coordinates, to know what items are needed at a particular place. The flow of the chats and details are managed by AI tools.
Saikia developed Jal Raksha within a day to ensure timely intervention.
Like Saikia, Partha Borthakur, another Jorhat native, was taking his morning walk when he noticed three relief carrying vehicles from different places in Assam heading to one particular area to distribute the material. The relief carriers had no idea about other areas where such help was needed. This realisation led Borthakur and a few friends to develop banpani.org, a community driven initiative for flood-relief coordination.
“The floods this time are of a much large-scale than usual and areas which were considered flood-free have been inundated. The response from the public and groups providing relief have also been unprecedented, but there was no coordination at all,” said Borthakur, who is working at the agri-technology business incubator of Assam Agricultural University (AAU) in Jorhat.
“While interacting with people of few vehicles carrying relief, I came to know that they were all going to the same place and were carrying mainly rice and pulses. But we knew that people in those areas had already received a lot of those items and were in need of clothes as they had to leave their homes suddenly and weren’t able to carry extra clothing,” he added.
Banpani.org, which is community driven, provides a live map where anyone can report a need by pointing a location and mention about the kind of help required. It shows coverage gaps and allows relief groups to announce where they are headed. The site also provides verified donation drop-off points where someone wishing to give something can do so and gives real time flood status and rainfall data.
Helpmonk is another such platform that emerged in the past few days: a free mobile app designed with the same motive -- to bring some coherence and coordination to relief and rehabilitation efforts. The platform, developed by Firingoti, a travel venture, incorporates features such as geo-tagging, location sharing, image uploads, verification mechanisms and real-time status updates so that help reaches the right people quickly.
“I belong to Sivasagar district, which is witnessing one of the worst flood situations in recent memory. Watching this devastation made us realise that while people across India and the world genuinely want to help, there is often no single trusted platform that connects those in need with those willing to assist. Helpmonk was born out of that need,” said Anuj Kumar Boruah, co-founder of Firingoti, who is based in New Delhi.
“Our vision goes far beyond donations. We want Helpmonk to become a comprehensive disaster response platform where individuals, rescue agencies, government departments, NGOs, volunteer groups, local communities and donors can collaborate seamlessly. Technology has the power to save lives when every minute matters.” he added.
While the different platforms were created as an immediate response to the floods in Assam, the founders stated that the technology used by them can be used during any disaster, not just in the state or the region, but across the country and outside. They also reiterated that the idea was not to have a parallel system separate from the work being done by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), but to provide a common and trusted platform where all stakeholders can work in coordination.
Not an easy task
Response to the three platforms has been slow, the founders said. Saikia beleives that awareness about the tech platforms and their accessibility is still low and Borthakur said that it will need more effort to reach a wider group of targeted persons.
“As Helpmonk was launched only on August 2, it is still in its early adoption phase. We have received encouraging interest from volunteers, NGOs, citizens and members of the disaster management community who appreciate the need for an integrated coordination platform. We are currently reaching out to government agencies, district administrations, NGOs and volunteer groups to onboard them so the platform becomes more effective during ongoing relief operations,” said Boruah.
Till Thursday, 97 people have lost their lives in this year’s floods. Over 168,000 people in 15 districts are still affected and 10111 persons displaced by flooding taking shelter in 50 relief camps. Details provided by Assam State Disaster Management Authority