CryptoRelief has granted one million dollars to establish a wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) research facility at IIT Madras. The facility will act as an intelligence unit to track and prevent a virus outbreak in its early stages. The grant would help in advanced research and getting a foresight into the ever-evolving virus patterns whilst also giving us a chance to better prepare ourselves.

In this CryptoRelief funded project, data obtained from various wastewater sources and treatment facilities will be analysed and made available to the public through dashboards. Gradually, this facility will be extended to other parts of India. New human resources developed in the area will be useful in establishing such facilities across the country.

International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW), a non-profit centre created by IIT Madras and housed at the IIT Madras Research Park will be establishing the facility. The ICCW team will work on building a hydro-informatics platform for the city with appropriate modelling tools to give spatiotemporal information of the data derived from WBE studies.

ICCW has been developing state-of-the-art technologies for affordable clean water. Creating a reliable platform for periodic analysis of wastewater will ensure better water security for the community. IITM and ICCW envision providing practical solutions to build a healthier country through WBE.