Shyam Shankaran and Team Atmospheric Moisture for Coastal Community (comprising Miftahul Jannat Labiba, Md. Zahidul Alam and Dr. Partho Das) are the winner and runner up, respectively, of the BRAC and IRC Water Hackathon.
Published on: 01/08/2025
From over 244 submissions received from passionate innovators, within and beyond Bangladesh, Shyam Shankaran and Team Atmospheric Moisture for Coastal Community (comprising Miftahul Jannat Labiba, Md. Zahidul Alam and Dr. Partho Das) were declared the winner and runner up, respectively, of the BRAC and IRC Water Hackathon.
After accepting submissions until June 30th, the selection process culminated in the final pitch presentation in the presence of the jury and other representatives from the sector, on July 19, 2025, in Dhaka. The jury panel, consisting of Dr. Shibly Sadik, AHM Khalequr Rahman, Dr. Sufia Khanom, Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Arjen Naafs, Md. Zillur Rahman and Sara Afreen, scored each of the pitches on five criteria: Fit for community (fit for co-creation), Innovation, Feasibility, Scalability and Impact, and Clarity.
The winning submission - JolBondhu - by Shyam Shankaran, demonstrated a smart, community-driven water grid targeting coastal communities that included a Reverse Osmosis unit powered by pedal, a rainwater harvesting system equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) and a community-led operational platform equipped with a mobile app.
The runner-up submission by Team Atmospheric Moisture for Coastal Community (AMCC) presented a technology with high potential for real-world application to capture rain in the wet season and moisture in the dry season.
The other finalists who pitched their innovations, with potential for scalability, in technologies, service models and/ or in business, reflected the creativity, commitment, and local insight needed to ensure safe and sustainable drinking water for all.
The Hackathon was organised not just as an initiative of the BRAC-IRC project on Equitable and Sustainable WASH Services in Bangladesh Delta Plan Hotspots (2022-2026) (supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands), but to contribute valuable knowledge to the wider WASH sector. Thus, both winning solutions would be piloted by BRAC-IRC, in close collaboration with sector partners, to benefit from their expertise, and share learnings for replication. Further, connections with the other finalists would be facilitated should they (the sector partners) wish to take their solutions forward.
Resources:
Media coverage of the Water Hackathon
Daily Sun, “Youth Innovators Tackle Salinity Crisis in Coastal Bangladesh,” July 19, 2025, https://www.daily-sun.com/post/814887?fbclid=IwY2xjawLpuCpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhADoflZKznsOFGyV_LmSGPnKr7iEdeYWLlBc55vkfxlUe5g9eJZ6a39Tonb_aem_8-YOPzC3er_FBfH7tsIx7g
Dhaka Tribune, “Brac-IRC Water Hackathon: Youth innovators tackle salinity crisis in coastal Bangladesh,” July 19, 2025, https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/386820/brac-irc-water-hackathon-youth-innovators-tackle
The Business Standard, “Coastal Water Crisis Met With Grassroots Ideas at Water Hackathon,” n.d., https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/corporates/coastal-water-crisis-met-grassroots-ideas-water-hackathon-1191756
Social media posts on the Water Hackathon
IRCWASH, July 23, 2025, “Here is a sneak peek into the winning idea....,” ([Video], [Post]),LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7353771999480963072.
IRCWASH, July 19, 2025, “Congratulations to Jol Bondhu and Atmospheric Moisture for Coastal Community ....,” ([Image], [Post]), LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ircwash_waterhackathon-innovationforimpact-innovationforchange-activity-7352374244304957440-XkrA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ1JvoBhozPPmm9xv301MNftNa1X4yHc74
IRCWASH, July 18, 2025, “Drumrolls please! We are pleased to announce the 11 finalists ....,” ([Images], [Post]), LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ircwash_water-hackathon-activity-7351928526821904385-HjG_?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ1JvoBhozPPmm9xv301MNftNa1X4yHc74
