PESHAWAR: The Enlight Lab, in collaboration with the National Incubation Center (NIC) Peshawar and S&P Global, organized the Flood Hackathon in Peshawar, bringing together young innovators, technologists and social entrepreneurs to develop practical and technology-driven solutions to address Pakistan’s recurring flood challenges.
A total of 17 teams presented innovative ideas focused on flood management under three key themes: Readiness, Response and Recovery. The themes guided participants to design solutions related to early warning and forecasting, emergency response coordination, and post-disaster recovery and resilience.
Pakistan experiences severe monsoon floods almost every year, resulting in large-scale displacement, damage to infrastructure and long-term economic losses.
During the session, the devastating floods of 2022 highlighted serious gaps in preparedness, early warning mechanisms, coordinated response and recovery planning.
The Flood Hackathon was organized to promote data-driven, technology-enabled and community-focused solutions aimed at reducing flood risks and improving disaster management outcomes.
The first position was secured by Humanitarian Volunteer Mapping, a solution based on the Humanitarian Open Street Map (HOTOSM) framework. The idea focuses on rapidly creating validated, open-source datasets of roads, structures and waterways through post-flood mapathons, enabling humanitarian organizations to quickly identify affected areas and plan timely interventions. The winning team was awarded PKR 50,000.
The second position went to Ailaan – AI Powered Flood Alert System for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which transforms complex flood-related data into simple, actionable alerts in local dialects to help communities make timely and informed evacuation decisions. The team received PKR 25,000.
The third position was awarded to a Flood Prediction and Emergency Response System, designed to support early forecasting and coordinated emergency response efforts. This team also received PKR 25,000.
Speaking on the occasion, Shafeeq Gigyani, Program Manager at National Incubation Center, Peshawar, said that floods hit Pakistan every year, yet lessons are often forgotten before and after disasters. “Through initiatives like the Flood Hackathon, our aim is to break this cycle by focusing on preparedness, timely response and long-term recovery,” he said.
Usman Nazir, Director at S&P Global, said the organization was proud to support initiatives that leverage data and innovation for social impact. “The ideas presented at the Flood Hackathon demonstrate strong potential to improve how communities prepare for and respond to flood emergencies,” he added.
The Flood Hackathon concluded with an emphasis on continued collaboration and support for promising teams, with the aim of refining their solutions further and exploring real-world implementation in partnership with relevant ecosystem stakeholders.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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