Google partners CWC for flood forecasting initiative

Google and Central Water Commission(CWC) of India have launched the flood forecasting initiatives across India for the past several months. The Central Water Commission is the first governmental partner of Google to measure water levels on an hourly basis using around 1000 stream gauges across India.

Flood Forecasting Initiatives

• Under the flood forecasting initiatives, Google has sent out numerous public alerts to people in flood-impacted regions of India.
• These alerts provide updates and critical information to inform the users on their safety and the safety of their family and friends.
• The notifications are provided in English, Hindi and Bengali based on the device language and locations of users.
• The initiative enables the users with Android Smartphones with location service to receive the alerts and notification on the real-time water level measurements.
• This initiative also allows the users to enter queries on flood-affected areas and access information on the current situations of the region.
• This also provides visual overviews of the information like rising and fall in water level in the next day with a description of the current situation with specific guidance.
• A colour-coded map of the flooded regions which provides a larger and detailed view in Google maps with zoom facility to get a better understanding of the water levels.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams

• Central Water Commission Chairman: Rajendra Kumar Jain.
• Central Water Commission Headquarters: Sewa Bhawan, New Delhi.