HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has partnered with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to launch an advanced AI-powered water quality monitoring initiative for Hyderabad.
Scheduled to begin in the third quarter of this year, the project aims to create a next-generation surveillance and early-warning system capable of monitoring water contamination across the city in real time.
The initiative combines scientific research, artificial intelligence and environmental monitoring to improve water governance and strengthen public-health response systems.
Unlike conventional water testing methods that rely on lengthy laboratory workflows and limited contaminant screening, the proposed platform will use advanced non-thermal plasma spectroscopy integrated with AI technology. By analysing the complete optical signature of water samples, the system will rapidly detect heavy metals, industrial chemicals, microbial indicators and emerging pollutants.
Water samples collected from different parts of Hyderabad will be processed at a proposed facility and integrated into a centralised digital platform capable of real-time analysis, pattern recognition and rapid alert generation. Officials said the system would help authorities intervene faster in contamination-related situations.
During the initial 12-month pilot phase, the programme is expected to analyse more than 25,000 water samples from across the Hyderabad metropolitan region and generate nearly 1.9 million individual data points related to chemical, elemental and microbiological parameters.
The initiative will also involve research institutions, technology partners and industry collaborators. Officials said all data generated under the programme will be protected through cybersecurity and privacy standards, with access restricted to authorised government agencies and institutional partners.
“Telangana has consistently sought to position itself at the forefront of technology-led governance and public welfare. We are excited to partner with some of India’s finest scientific institutions and innovators to build a model for water safety and environmental intelligence that can ultimately benefit not only Telangana but also the rest of India. This initiative represents a major step toward proactive, data-driven public-health protection,” MAUD special chief secretary Jayesh Ranjan said.
“IIT Kharagpur is excited to collaborate with the Telangana government on this important initiative. Our faculty and researchers have deep expertise in water systems, environmental engineering, and contaminant modelling, and we look forward to contributing scientific rigor and practical solutions to address this critical challenge,” said IIT Kharagpur director Prof Suman Chakraborty.
