Idukki turns to AI and sensors to become India's most disaster-ready hill district

Idukki (Kerala) | In the lush, hilly district of Idukki in Kerala, where nature's beauty meets frequent danger, authorities are turning to technology for protection.

A new high-tech system using artificial intelligence, sensors, and satellite maps will soon help predict landslides, flash floods, forest fires, and droughts in real time -- part of an ambitious plan to make Idukki the most disaster-resilient hill district in the country.

The innovative Idukki Disaster Resilience and Information System (IDRIS)-- a first-of-its-kind early warning and planning platform -- will be rolled out this monsoon as a pilot project, said District Collector V Vigneshwari here on Tuesday.

The pilot rollout will begin in Adimaly and Rajakkad, two areas often hit by landslides, floods, and rising conflict between people and wildlife, an official release said.

IDRIS is the first system of its kind in India, combining real-time data, satellite maps, and advanced tools like Artificial Intelligence to send early warnings for natural disasters such as landslides, flash floods, wildfires, and drought, the release claimed.

The system will help local leaders and government officials make better, faster decisions. It does this by using GIS-based risk maps to guide where roads, buildings, and water systems should be built -- keeping both people and nature in mind, officials said.

The system is being developed under the leadership of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

The system uses artificial intelligence, sensors and satellite maps to monitor and predict hazards like landslides, flash floods, forest fires and droughts in real time, the release said.

"Forty-six sensors will monitor soil movement, rain and moisture levels. Forty-eight river gauges will track water levels in key tributaries such as the Thodupuzha River and Pamba. Data will be fed live into a GIS-based control room at the District Emergency Operations Centre. Officials will use this information to send early warnings and guide safer infrastructure planning," it said.

Alerts will be sent through SMS, sirens, radio and a mobile app, in Malayalam, English, Tamil, Hindi, and tribal languages.

"The development of the IDRIS software and its field-level testing will begin soon," the district collector said.

The aim is to transform Idukki into India's most disaster-resilient hill district by combining sensor technology, GIS-based risk layers, and machine learning, she added.

Officials said Idukki is a district highly prone to disasters.

Since 2000, it has faced over 600 landslides, recurring floods, rising incidents of wild animal attacks, unsafe constructions, and forest fires, they said.

Taking all these risks into account, a comprehensive multi-hazard monitoring system is being set up in the district, officials added.