Water-system modelling, AI & advisory13.08° N · 80.27° E · Chennai

Water,managed asone system.

UnitedWaterWorks builds and maintains a single model of how water moves through a city, from monsoon rain and reservoirs to drains, groundwater and the sea. Combining physics-based models with AI, we give governments clear, independent advice on what to operate, maintain and build. Headquartered in Chennai, with an office in Seattle.

The challenge

Flood and shortage are the same problem.

Coastal cities like Chennai can flood and run dry in the same year. Rain, reservoirs, rivers, drains, groundwater and the sea all act on one another, yet each asset is usually planned and run on its own. When high tide meets peak river flow, new drains cannot empty. When the monsoon fails, reservoirs, aquifers and desalination must carry the city together.

1,400+ kmof new stormwater drains built in Chennai since 2015
167 kmBuckingham Canal, the only waterway linking the city's river mouths
~4.5 mm/yrobserved sea-level rise along the Chennai coast
5 sourcesreservoirs, transfers, groundwater, desalination and reuse in one supply
Our approach

From "what happens at this asset?" to "what happens across the city?"

We connect hydrology, hydraulics, the coastal boundary and infrastructure data into one calibrated model, then use it to test decisions before they are made.

01

Understand

Map how all water moves through the city, calibrated against real floods such as 2015 and Cyclone Michaung in 2023.

02

Predict

Run extreme rain, weak monsoons, reservoir releases, asset failures and sea-level rise before they happen. AI-assisted screening tests thousands of options quickly.

03

Optimise

Improve day-to-day operation of reservoirs, gates, pumps and maintenance across agencies.

04

Invest

Fund the options where economic, social and environmental benefits align, in the right order.

Water in

  • Monsoon rainfall over the catchments
  • Reservoirs and inter-basin transfers
  • Desalination from the sea
  • Tide, storm surge and rising sea level at the river mouths

Water out

  • Rivers, drains and canals discharging to the sea
  • Supply to homes and industry, and wastewater reuse
  • Recharge to and abstraction from groundwater
  • Evaporation and losses
What we advise on

Better decisions, not just a model.

The model is our tool. What governments receive is timely, independent advice across three kinds of decision.

Operational

How to run the system

Day-to-day and seasonal choices that keep people safe and water flowing.

  • 01Reservoir releases timed against tides and forecast rain
  • 02Where to pre-position pumps and response teams
  • 03Which drains and canal links to clear before the monsoon
  • 04Balancing flood safety against dry-season storage
Focus: Chennai

The Buckingham Canal, prioritised reach by reach.

Built in 1877–78, the canal links Ennore Creek, the Kosasthalaiyar, Cooum and Adyar river mouths and the Kovalam basin. Rehabilitating it is a once-in-a-generation decision, and each reach faces very different conditions.

The question is not only whether to rehabilitate the canal, but which reaches, for which purposes, in what order, and in a way communities will support.

KOSASTHALAIYARCOOUMADYARKOVALAMSEA
North reach

Ennore – Kosasthalaiyar

Industrial pollution, creek and port interactions, and flood relief for north Chennai.

  • Flood conveyance to the Ennore outlet
  • Sewage and industrial discharge interception
  • Mangrove and creek restoration

Economic & technical benefit

Flood damage avoided, cost, travel and land value.

Community impact

Households, livelihoods, health and sanitation, with women and girls built in.

Deliverability & support

Clearances, agencies and time to visible results. Government sets the weights.

How we work

We build it, run it and advise with it.

Governments should not have to staff specialist modelling software to benefit from it.

Build

We assemble existing data, build the model and calibrate it against past events, linking it to the systems already in place. Data integration and AI tools bring scattered agency data together faster.

Run

We host and maintain the model and update it after every monsoon as new data arrives.

Advise

Departments receive operational, capital and strategic advice on request and on a regular schedule, plus an annual water-system outlook.

Government owns the data and resultsTraining and full transfer available at any timeWe advise; government decidesNo stake in constructionIndustry-standard, non-proprietary tools
AI-assisted, engineer-led

Physics you can trust, made faster with AI.

Our hydrologic and hydraulic models remain the source of truth. AI helps us gather data faster, explore far more options and explain results clearly. Our engineers check every recommendation before it reaches a decision-maker.

Data integration

From scattered files to one dataset

AI reads agency reports, survey PDFs, gauge logs and maps, then extracts and cleans the data the model needs, in weeks rather than months.

Scenario screening

Thousands of options in minutes

Fast AI models trained on our physics model screen large numbers of interventions. The most promising are confirmed with the full model.

Forecast-informed operations

Hotspots before the storm

Rainfall and tide forecasts run through the model help flag likely flood hotspots and reservoir decisions ahead of forecast events.

Imagery analysis

Eyes on every canal reach

Satellite and drone imagery, analysed with AI, spots silt build-up, encroachment and blocked channels along canals and drains.

Sensor quality

Clean data, automatically

Faulty, missing or unusual gauge and sensor readings are flagged before they reach the model, so results stay reliable.

Plain-language briefings

Answers officials can act on

AI drafts clear summaries, maps and English and Tamil briefing notes from model results, reviewed by our engineers before they go out.

Physics-based models stay the source of truthEvery AI output reviewed by an engineerGovernment data stays under government control
Team

Rooted in Chennai, with reach across two continents.

Headquartered in Chennai, with an office in Seattle, Washington. Our network of more than 20 water, data and AI specialists works across India and North America.

20+water, data and AI specialists across India and North America
100+ yrscombined experience modelling rivers, drainage and coastlines
2 officesChennai headquarters and Seattle, WA
Leadership
VJ
Chief Executive Officer

Varun Jayakhumar

Entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience founding and running businesses across India and Southeast Asia, including tea and coffee plantations in India, agricultural commodities trading in Malaysia and hospitality in India. Brings deep experience in operations on the ground, land and water resources, and building lasting local partnerships.

KB
Head of Operations

Kaushik Basnet

Technology leader with more than 15 years of experience building data platforms and digital products. Leads data integration and AI applications at UnitedWaterWorks, turning scattered agency data into a model that is reliable, current and easy for decision-makers to use.

DT
Technical Lead

Dr. Deeptha Thattai

Chennai-based scientist with a PhD in Geological Sciences (Physical Oceanography) from the University of South Carolina. Leads the technical programme: model design, calibration and the quality of our advice. Specialist in estuary and mangrove hydrodynamics, environmental flows and constructed wetlands.

Technical specialists
Water management & analytics

Integrated water management lead

PhD-qualified specialist combining technical depth with data analytics, with work across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Hydraulic & hydrologic modelling

Modelling lead

Chennai native who has modelled water systems for billion-dollar infrastructure programmes in major cities.

Academic leadership

Faculty lead

Professor at a premier Indian Institute of Technology, providing academic and research leadership.

Our team's programme experience includes
  • Singapore PUB, ABC WatersIntegrated drainage and waterway revitalisation
  • Kuala Lumpur SMART TunnelHydraulic modelling for monsoon flood diversion
  • Mumbai and Delhi water-loss programmesSupply efficiency and performance-based operations
  • Miami flood modellingStorm surge and coastal backwater
  • Baltimore stormwater managementUrban drainage model calibration
  • Los Angeles sewer-overflow worksOverflow loads and separation
Questions

What agencies usually ask us.

Short answers to the questions we hear most from water departments and development partners.

Do we need to run the model ourselves?

No. We build, host and maintain the model and update it after every monsoon. Your teams receive the advice and outputs. If you want the model in-house later, we train your staff and transfer it.

Who owns the data and the results?

The government does. Agency data stays under government control, and all findings are shared openly with the departments involved.

How do you use AI, and can we trust it?

AI speeds up data gathering, option screening, imagery analysis and briefings. Physics-based hydrologic and hydraulic models remain the source of truth, and an engineer reviews every AI output before it reaches a decision-maker.

How does this work alongside existing systems?

It connects them. The model uses tide and surge data from coastal flood warnings, reservoir records and drainage surveys, and adds the missing picture of how they interact. It does not replace any existing system.

How would an engagement begin?

With a briefing and technical consultations with your engineers and operations teams, followed by a joint technical assessment. The scope of any long-term engagement is then set by the government through its own procurement process.

Contact

Let's talk about your water system.

We welcome conversations with water agencies, government departments and development partners. Reach our Chennai team during India business hours, or our Seattle office during US Pacific hours.

Emailinfo@unitedh2o.com
Chennai, India · Headquarters+91 97514 35966
Seattle, WA, USA+1 206-801-1568