What is the name of your organization?
Urban Inventors
What is the name of your solution?
Smart Drain Technology
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
IoT-powered drainage that resists clogs, prevents flooding, and cuts global stormwater drain maintenance costs
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Colombo, Sri Lanka
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Sri Lanka
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Urban flooding from clogged stormwater drains is an escalating global crisis. In many rapidly urbanizing cities, poor solid waste management leaves drains choked with garbage, unable to cope with heavy rainfall, triggering flash floods that damage infrastructure, displace communities, spread disease, and disrupt economies.
Globally, over 30 million people are affected by flooding each year, leading to approximately 7,500 deaths and $40 billion in economic losses. These impacts are most severe in low-income, high-density cities where storm drains are overwhelmed by plastic, silt, and household waste.
Cities are locked in a reactive, unsustainable cycle of emergency spending. Mumbai spends $28 million annually on pre-monsoon drain cleaning, Accra has invested $50 million since 2018, São Paulo removed 3 million cubic meters of garbage and silt for $100 million, and Lagos loses an estimated $3.9 billion each year to flood-related damage. Yet these investments do not address root causes.
At its core, this crisis reflects a mismatch between outdated infrastructure and modern urban requirements. Most drains were not designed to handle today’s waste types or storm intensities. The Smart Drain solution targets this structural failure, combining waste filtration and real-time monitoring to prevent blockages and break the flood-disaster cycle.
What is your solution?
Smart Drain is the world’s first dual-layered, IoT-enabled open drainage system designed to prevent clogs at the source. It features a perforated top layer that traps solid waste and a clog-free, clear bottom channel that allows uninterrupted stormwater flow, even during heavy rains. Built-in sensors monitor water flow, rainfall, and waste buildup in real-time. The system sends alerts to maintenance teams via a digital dashboard, enabling predictive cleaning and reducing emergency dredging and maintenance costs. Smart Drain is modular and retrofit-friendly, making it ideal for both new and existing drains in dense urban environments. It addresses three key issues: blocked drains, stormwater overflow, and inefficient maintenance systems.
Developed through PhD research and currently piloted in Sri Lanka, Smart Drain has already demonstrated a reduction in waste-induced overflows and faster maintenance response. It will be especially impactful in rapidly urbanizing cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In recognition of its innovation and practical impact, Smart Drain was awarded the 2024 Australia Good Design Award – Best in Class for Engineering Design. This low-cost, scalable solution empowers cities to build climate resilience while improving public safety and cutting infrastructure costs.
Product demo: https://youtu.be/zJMRJb5Emxs
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Smart Drain primarily serves urban communities in densely populated cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where ageing stormwater systems frequently clog and overflow. These challenges disproportionately impact low-income residents in informal settlements, who face heightened flood risks, waterborne diseases, and limited municipal support, as they are often regarded as illegal squatters.
By implementing Smart Drain, communities experience reduced overflows through real-time clog prevention, preserving drain capacity and minimizing localized flooding. This directly lowers health risks by preventing water stagnation and limiting the spread of disease.
Additionally, the system traps plastic waste at the point of generation, effectively reducing plastic pollution in waterways and enhancing environmental quality.
Municipal authorities also benefit significantly. Currently burdened by reactive maintenance and costly emergency dredging, they gain a proactive tool to manage drainage systems more efficiently and sustainably.
Smart Drain improves operational planning for cities through data-driven maintenance and fosters community resilience. Citizens are empowered with mobile dashboards that display real-time system status and provide reporting tools, encouraging participatory urban governance. The solution also promotes local job creation in installation and maintenance, across both civil engineering and IoT sectors, ensuring long-term ownership and sustainability at the grassroots level.
