News & Events

Prof. Anamika Barua attended the webinar "Nepal’s Flood Crisis: Rethinking Disaster Diplomacy & Climate Resilience Across Borders” as the leading expert. The webinar was organised by Asian Confluence. The discussion emphasised the urgent need for stronger cross-border cooperation, better institutional coordination, effective early-warning systems, and climate-resilient infrastructure to reduce the increasing vulnerability of Himalayan communities.

From Data to Decisions and Action: The IIT Guwahati LODESTAR team met with Smt Kavitha Padmanabhan, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary to the Government of Assam, Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (DoHUA), in the presence of the CEO, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), and other senior officials, to chart a collaborative pathway between the LODESTAR Initiative and GMDA. The meeting focused on leveraging data, technology, and innovative decision-support tools to advance a more flood-resilient Guwahati city.

The LODESTAR team met with Shri Ravi Kota, Chief Secretary, Assam, and senior officials from ASDMA, GMDA, Housing & Urban Affairs, Water Resources and other departments to discuss strengthening real-time flood monitoring and anticipatory flood management in Guwahati. Following the meeting, a task force headed by ASDMA was constituted to work with the LODESTAR team towards developing and operationalising the dashboard by 2027. LODESTAR is developing a people-centred, low-cost, multi-hazard early warning system integrating sensors, rainfall data, CCTV feeds, citizen observations, AI and flood modelling. The initiative aims to provide localised, real-time flood information and actionable guidance for communities across Guwahati.

Game Theory and Water Diplomacy: Transboundary Water Conflicts and Cooperation, by Anamika Barua and Tanushree Baruah, explores the strategic dimensions of transboundary water negotiations through the lens of game theory. The book examines conflict and cooperation across major South Asian river basins, including the Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Indus. It analyses how national interests, power asymmetries, geographical position, policies, information, rationality, and third-party interventions shape water negotiations. By connecting game-theoretic approaches with real-world cases of transboundary water interactions, the book offers insights into strategies for promoting cooperation, water security, and sustainable management of shared river resources.