Class 12 Student Develops Smart Irrigation App Helping Farmers Save Water, Diesel and Crops

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• A Class 12 student has developed an innovative smart irrigation app that enables farmers to monitor soil moisture levels and automate watering schedules efficiently.
• The app helps farmers conserve water and reduce diesel consumption by ensuring irrigation only occurs when necessary.
• By providing real-time data and alerts, the tool minimises the risk of crop damage caused by over- or under-watering.
• This low-cost, user-friendly innovation demonstrates how youth-led technology can drive sustainability and efficiency in agriculture.

For years, farmers in Mandaura, Sonipat, battled cracked soil, wasted diesel, and uncertainty over whether their crops would survive the season. That cycle of anxiety is now easing, thanks to a smart irrigation app designed by 17-year-old student Sharanya Mehta.

The app, a Decision Support System (DSS), guides farmers on when, where and how much to irrigate, combining data from soil sensors, satellites and weather forecasts. 

Farmers receive simple schedules, colour coded maps, alerts, and voice prompts in local languages, helping them avoid over watering or wasting fuel.

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Sharanya’s inspiration came from summers spent in Alwar with her grandfather, where she witnessed the damage caused by misjudged irrigation. 

By Class 9, she had founded Project Jal and begun experimenting with water harvesting techniques. Her ideas took shape further under the mentorship of Commodore Sridhar Kotra, co-founder of Agrimatrix India, who helped her refine the DSS into a practical tool for farmers.

By early 2025, the project moved from concept to field trials. Sensors were installed at two soil depths, satellite data from ISRO Bhuvan and Sentinel-2 was integrated, and weather models were layered in. 

Farmers tested prototypes, insisting on offline access, voice instructions, and visual guides. Their feedback shaped the app into a tool rooted in local realities.

Field trials in Sonipat brought immediate results. Farmers like Ramesh Chandra reported healthier plants with less water use: “The app told me I could skip watering even when the surface felt dry. By midday, my crops looked stronger, and I saved on diesel.” Jagvir Singh, another farmer, said the system gave him the confidence to irrigate less but more effectively.

The app also connects with pump controllers, automating irrigation to save labour and fuel. 

In August 2025, Sharanya secured a provisional patent for the DSS and received the CREST Gold Award for innovation.

India faces mounting water stress, with agriculture consuming over 80% of national supplies. Sharanya’s app offers a data-driven, farmer-friendly solution. For growers in villages like Mandaura, dawn no longer begins with uncertainty it starts with guidance they can trust.