The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) has tied up with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to develop climate solutions for the stakeholder at village, city and district level. The collaboration will help the institute to develop sensors and drone-based smart monitoring systems, climate-smart agriculture technology for water and food security, intelligent and automated early warning systems, climate and health, smart power grid management, wind energy and heat wave forecasts.
Given the country's ambitious target of reaching net zero by 2070, IIT Bombay is aiming to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Climate Services and Solutions within the Interdisciplinary Program in Climate Studies (IDPCS). "IDPCS at IIT Bombay was set up in 2012 and has completed its 10-year journey with major financial support from the Department of Science and Technology," the release mentioned.
M. Ravichandran, Secretary to the Government of India, IMD said, "I congratulate the department for making this 10-year programme successful. IDPCS is a very good initiative by IIT Bombay as it is important for studies of climate science. Science itself is interdisciplinary as it involves mathematics, engineering solutions, and social sciences amongst other disciplines and these are required to understand the discipline of climate studies as well. Interdisciplinary academia has immense potential, and I look forward to the ministry working collaboratively with IIT Bombay."
IIT Bombay has also set up the first-ever chair professorship in climate studies. "The Chair titled- Vinaya and Samir Kapoor Chair in Climate Studies has been set up with a generous donation from IIT Bombay's alumni Ms. Vinaya Kapoor (B.Tech., Chemical Engineering, 1992) and Samir Kapoor (B. Tech., Electrical Engineering, 1992), and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed on March 31," the release read.
Addressing the occasion, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri, Director, IIT Bombay said, "It is crucial now more than ever for us to develop actionable and sustainable solutions that can combat the climate crisis. IIT Bombay's mission is to be a thought-leader in Climate Studies and make a difference with its cutting-edge research and industry collaborations. Our partnership with the IMD as well as the establishment of the first ever Chair Professorship in Climate Studies will enable this and will be a big step forward in our endeavour to lead India's fight against climate change." "These collaborations will contribute significantly to our global goal of ranking amongst the top 50 institutions in the world within the next decade," the director added.
