TSITD plans to go in for multiple techs to address critical issues

​Hyderabad: In a bid to address critical issues and minimise the loss of life and damage to the property, the Telangana State Information and Technology Department (TSITD) is deploying a combination of multiple technologies.

Speaking to The Hans India, a TSITD senior official said, “It is not one or two, but a combination of emerging technologies forming the matrix to refine the service delivery of various departments to the citizens.” The technologies used include data analytics, sensor technology, short messaging through mobile platforms, Internet of Things (IoT) and the like. 

Giving details of the useful technology interventions, the sources said that the number of sunstroke deaths during the severe summer days were in three digits. “Though the number of deaths reported during the last summer was around 180, in the year before, they were around 400,” he added.

TSITD Principle Secretary Jayesh Ranjan said the question was not how many. Loss of even one life matters a lot to the families concerned and may even devastate them. So, the focus of using these technological interventions was to reduce the number of deaths.

The heatwave would not break all of a sudden. It builds over a period of days during the summer time. So, the department is using sensor technology to gaze and monitor the buildup of heatwave conditions in a particular mandal, village or an area. Further, the government is tied up with the telecom service providers (TSPs). As soon as the heatwave condition is building up, people in the area will get alerts on their mobile phones. 

“The messages are sent a fortnight or a week in advance to the actual day that the area comes under the heatwave conditions. The alerts are meant to ask people to take necessary precautionary measures. Also, people would be asked to complete any important works planned early, so that they are not forced to spend much time outside during the hot summer days,” the official added.

Further, once an area or village is identified prone to the heatwave built-up, then the departments concerned are geared up to prepare well for any eventualities. For example, the Rural Water Supply Department (RWSD) could prepare a plan to meet any exigencies like shortage of water in any village. Similarly, the medical and health department could stock up the necessary medicines to give timely treatment. Also, the Anganwadi centres could stock necessary groceries or food items for the smooth functioning of its activities.

According to official sources, this is only one aspect of how the technological intervention could reduce the intensity of the problem by giving advanced alerts for the people as well as help the departments concerned to do everything possible to reduce the number of deaths during the summer.

“This intervention is not yet configured to address issues related during the winter. Because there are no such reports of loss of life reported like in case of summer. However, the same could be refined configured to address such problems related to winter and any other natural calamities,” the sources added.