Rourkela: NIT Rourkela student team, ‘SWADES’, secured first position at the ‘Smart India Hackathon (SIH) 2025’. The team was declared the winner for Problem Statement ID 25166, titled ‘Smart Sabarmati Riverfront & Urban Water Bodies’, during the final round held from December 8 to 12, 2025, at Parul University, Gujarat.
The Smart India Hackathon 2025 was organised by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell, government of India, in collaboration with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as part of the national mission ‘Hack for Bharat, Build for the World’. The winning team comprised all third-year students: Nilesh Kumar and Dev Soni from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ritik Pandey from the Department of Physics (Integrated), and Amol Munot, Suchismita Behera, and Ujjwal Kumar from the Department of Electrical Engineering.
Their solution addressed critical challenges related to urban water management and public safety through an innovative and technology-driven approach. Team SWADES designed and successfully demonstrated an autonomous river surface cleaning robot capable of removing floating waste from river surfaces. Beyond waste management, the system is equipped to detect drowning incidents, send alert notifications to nearby citizens through the Sabarmati Mitra mobile application, and provide real-time water quality information to the public via the app. The solution demonstrated effective use of intelligent systems to support environmental sustainability and enhanced public safety.
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For this problem statement, around 120 teams across the country submitted their proposals, each comprising six members. Only five teams were shortlisted at the national level following a rigorous evaluation process, with Team SWADES from NIT Rourkela being among the finalists. During the final stage, the shortlisted teams participated in a five-day intensive hackathon, where they were required to develop and demonstrate a fully functional working prototype. Team SWADES was declared the winner December 12, at the grand finale held in the presence of the Chief Guest, Arun Mahesh Babu, IAS, Commissioner of Vadodara Municipal Corporation, and the Guest of Honour, Yogesh Brahmankar, Innovation Director, AICTE.
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