Smart water distribution networks and management. Water Distribution Network (WDN) management involves several specialized tasks, including network design, pump scheduling, sensor placement, and leak detection and localization. We have developed and deployed low cost, low power IoT based sensor and actuator networks for monitoring and control of water distribution networks. We have developed open source based software for design, operation, control and monitoring of water distribution networks. We have developed an agentic framework based on Small and Large Language Models (SLMs/LLMs) that provides a natural-language interface for interacting with WDN management tools
Sridharakumar Narasimhan
Professor, Department of Data Science and AI
Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
- Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai
- India
- Ph.D Clarksin University, USA
Areas of interest
Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Optimization, Water distribution networks, pipeline networks,
Biography
Sridharakumar Narasimhan obtained his M.Tech and PhD. both in chemical engineering from IIT Bombay and Clarkson University,USA respectively. He is currently Professor at the Department ofData Science and Artificial Intelligence, IIT Madras, India. His research interests lie in the area of cyber physical systems, process systems engineering, machine learning and artificial intelligence with applications to water distribution networks, pipeline networks and reaction networks.
Research Projects
Key Publications
1. H. Doneparthi, R, Adhityan, S. Sundararaman, R. Mathiazhagan, S. Prasath, P.Mohandoss, M. Jamadarkhani, V.P. Nallamothula, V.Kurian and S. Narasimhan, “Equitable supply in water distribution networks using data-driven optimization and AI-assisted voice automation”. npj Clean Water (2026).
2. M. Jamadarkhani, R. Raphael, S. Prasath, B. Harish and S. Narasimhan, “IoT enabled smart water metering using machine learning, “ Frontiers in Water, 25 June 2025, Sec. Water and Built Environment, Volume 7 – 2025.
3. V. Kurian,V Sajay, S.Narasimhan, “Continuous and discrete operation of water networks, Optimization and Engineering, 24, 2619–2650, 2023.
4. V. Kurian, P. Mohandoss, Srinesh Chandrasekara, C. Saravanan, S. Narasimhan and S. Narasimhan, “Equitable supply in intermittently operated rural water networks of emerging economies”, Water Supply 23(11), 4520-4538, 2023.
5. V. Kurian and S. Narasimhan“Analysis of potential flow networks: Variations in transport time with discrete, continuous, and selfish operation” Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 632, part 1, 129303.
6. V. Kurian, C. Saravanan, A. Natarajan, S. Narasimhan and S. Narasimhan, “Optimal operation of water distribution networks with intermediate storage facilities” Computers and Chemical Engineering, 119 (Nov), 215-227, 2018.