LUMS’ IntelliWarn Awarded First Prize at NDMA Disaster Tech Expo 2025

The Centre for Water Informatics and Technology (WIT) at LUMS made its mark at the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) Disaster Early Warning Tech Expo (DEW-TE) 2025, securing first position in the event’s Startup Pitch Deck Competition. This year’s expo was themed “From Reactive to Proactive Disaster Management,” highlighting a critical shift from responding after disasters to preventing them before they strike.

At the expo, WIT showcased IntelliWarn — a scalable, low-cost, solar-powered IoT-based Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) designed specifically for hard-to-reach and underserved regions. IntelliWarn detects floods in real time and transmits alerts even in fully off-grid locations without electricity or cellular networks, made possible through open source IoT technologies such as LoRaWAN and LoRa Mesh.

The system comprises community-managed weather stations and flood sensors that continuously monitor rainfall and water levels. When a threat is detected, automated alerts are sent immediately to nearby communities. With proper training, local residents can operate and maintain these systems themselves, ensuring long-term sustainability. Using a modular design, IntelliWarn can be adapted to diverse terrains — from mountainous regions vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) to low-lying plains at risk of flash floods and hill torrents — making it scalable and replicable across diverse geographies and use cases.

 
WIT’s stall at the Tech Expo attracted significant attention and was visited by the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, along with several foreign and local dignitaries and key stakeholders. During the visit, the delegation was briefed on the design, functionality, and community-driven impact of the IntelliWarn system. The visitors appreciated WIT’s efforts in developing an innovative, locally adaptable, and cost-effective solution that strengthens disaster preparedness, particularly for vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities.

 
The development of IntelliWarn was made possible through a robust network of partners. WIT’s collaboration with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, provincial irrigation departments, disaster management authorities, and meteorological agencies provided critical community access, technical insights on flood risk, and support for technology adoption. WIT-LUMS led the system design and field deployments, transforming existing technologies into scalable, locally suited solutions. The project was developed at the NCRA-Agricultural Robotics Lab at WIT, with support from the APNIC Foundation’s Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF Asia) under the Ian Peter Grant for Internet and the Environment.

IntelliWarn stands as a powerful example of how smart, community-centred, and locally adaptable innovations can strengthen resilience and reduce the human toll of climate-induced disasters. As Pakistan braces for intensifying environmental challenges, IntelliWarn offers a promising pathway toward a smarter, safer, and more prepared future.