23/04/2026
Every year, urban flooding costs billions and forces millions to search for necessities, a crisis faced by more than 500 cities. To address this, four researchers, launched AIResQ ClimSols (AIResQ), an urban resilience startup, based on years of research by the Machine Intelligence and Resilience (MIR) Lab at IITGN.
The idea emerged from a request to assess flood probability for a riverfront project in Surat. After realising that academic papers are not the answer city officials look for at 2 am during heavy rain, the team built the Rain2Resilience Suite. This physics-informed AI tool predicts rainfall, tells cities where flooding will hit, how severe it will be, and which roads and infrastructure are at risk, even before the first raindrop falls. As explained by co-founder Prof Udit Bhatia, โIt is like bringing together scientific models with machine learning to deliver real-time, hyperlocal flood intelligenceโ.
However, data from AI models alone rarely inspires action. Hence, AIResQ also built the AI Resilience Command (ARC) Centre: a safe space for the common public to approach in times of need. Here, complex flood models come alive through real-time visualisation, making science legible to policymakers and communities alike. Their vision for ARC centre 2.0 includes AR-based gamified simulations that let decision-makers experience consequences before acting. Selected for the Indian government's AI Centre of Excellence โMake AI in Indiaโ program, AIResQ drives urban preparedness, from Gurugram flood digital twins to Gujarat dam safety.
Their story began as a simple request that turned into a mission to help turn cities from reactive to resilient, one monsoon at a time.
