IIT Madras, and Akamai India CSR to support innovations in Water
ICCW along with IITM is partnering as a mentor for Akamai’s Accelerator Program for early-stage innovations in water. The Accelerator Program is a project funded by Akamai Technologies India Corporate Social Responsibility Trust to support innovators working on Water technologies and advancing the research and applied research components of these innovations, for successful implementation on field to address the water challenges of the country. This program will focus “to pilot and prove solutions across water quality, water conservation & recharge, and efficient use of resources & water governance.”
ICCW is the “Project Implementor,” for conceptualization and execution of the project objectives. Mr E Nandakumar, CEO, ICCW, as the “Project Lead,” will ensure the visibility of the project within its home-network and IITM network. IIT Madras has supported over 200 start-ups through its incubation programs. ICCW is proud to announce this partnership.
This Earth Day, which is also ICCW’s first anniversary of its inauguration, two grantees have been selected for Akamai’s Accelerator Program: the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and the Foundation for Environmental Monitoring (FFEM).
ATREE is building a citizen-centric platform that leverages technology to bring together communities, local bodies, and corporations that play a crucial role in the restoration, development, and protection of lakes. Citizens can be active participants and advocates for the sustainable management of lakes through this innovation. ATREE has an interactive dashboard: http://blrlakesdashboard.org/atree/lakes/#/app/map covering 4 lakes in Bangalore, and providing data around the health of the lake.
FFEM is working to develop a simple, inexpensive and open source water test kit designed for use by citizens. This test will use Android phones, commonly available chemical reagents and color cards to make colorimetric tests easily accessible by citizens, environmentalists, scientists and policy makers.
We are happy to join hands, strengthen our networks, bring support from diverse expertise for this program for water and begin the good work!
