Hummingbird News Desk
CHENNAI, 7 FEB: In a bid to resolve water problems in India, IIT Madras is all set to establish a new inter-disciplinary Water Management and Policy Centre called ‘AquaMAP’. This Centre will provide smart solutions for challenging water problems by designing scalable models by leveraging innovative technologies. These models would be implemented at chosen locations across the country, as a proof of concept.
Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “I am thankful to our alumni, Dr. Parasuram Balasubramanian and Mr. Krishnan Narayanan who have given their time, treasure and talent and helped shape this initiative on water management, a topic of immense national importance. This initiative is also special because we have conceived a unique Alumni-Engagement Model to support the professors at AquaMAP.”
Dr. Parasuram Balasubramanian, Chief Executive Officer, Theme Work Analytics, said, “I am thankful to the alma mater for this opportunity to contribute to a mission of national priority. A majority of India’s water issues require astute and effective management practices for their solution. We can learn a lot from setting up water innovation villages/towns and running water-themed grand challenges. I hope that AquaMAP proves to be a demonstrated model of success through the collaborative working of community, industry, academia, and technology professionals.”
Mr. Krishnan Narayanan, President, IIT Madras Alumni Association (IITMAA) and President, Itihaasa Research and Digital, said, “I am glad that I could leverage my water-startup experience in India in shaping the vision of AquaMAP. I am also delighted as an alumnus to give back my time to the institute. Since we have made alumni-engagement central to this initiative, other alumni with expertise in water domain can now apply to become a Fellow, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Project Grand Masters, or volunteers at AquaMAP.”
Prof. Ligy Philip, Department of Civil Engineering and Dean (Planning), IIT Madras, is the Principal Investigator of AquaMAP. She will be supported by another 20 faculty members working on water-related issues and drawn from diverse departments such as Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Management and Humanities and Social Sciences. Aqua Map has a governing body chaired by Director IIT Madras and an advisory board with many eminent and well established people in the area of water technology, management and policy.
Elaborating about the work to be taken up by AquaMAP, Prof. Ligy Philip said, “We wish to do our best to solve the pressing water challenges in our country. AquaMAP will collaborate with other IIT Madras water research centers such as Sutram, International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW) – IIT Madras, and PCoE on Water and Sustainability, and other partners in this endeavour. We hope to create referral sites that are global benchmarks in water security, water quality and sustainable water management.”
Tags: #IITMadras #InterDisciplinaryWaterManagement #AquaMAP #WaterProblems #India
