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LeakLink by JalRakshaks: Empowering South African Citizens to Defend Every Drop

Introduction

South Africa is facing a growing water crisis. Up to 50% of treated water is lost due to infrastructure issues, mismanagement, and a critical lack of public engagement. From invisible background leaks to massive bursts and even theft through meter tampering, the crisis has become multifaceted and deeply entrenched.

This is where we come in. We are Team JalRakshaks from India, and our mission is simple: empower ordinary citizens to become extraordinary defenders of water. Our innovation, LeakLink, is a bold, scalable, and behaviourally intelligent platform built on WhatsApp to make leak detection, reporting, and resolution collaborative, efficient, and rewarding.

The Problem We Are Solving

Unreported leaks: Many citizens either don’t know how to report leaks or feel their complaints go unheard.

One-way communication: Current systems are mostly unidirectional, leaving users frustrated

Lack of motivation: There’s little to no reward or feedback for those who do take action.

Operational inefficiencies: Municipalities are overloaded and unable to prioritize issues effectively.

Youth disengagement: The younger generation is often excluded from civic participation.

Theft and tampering: Rampant in underserved areas, going unreported due to fear or lack of channels.

Our Solution: LeakLink

LeakLink is a WhatsApp-based bilateral communication platform that connects citizens with municipalities for reporting water leaks, bursts, and water theft. It’s designed to be inclusive, data-smart, rewarding, and rooted in behavioural science.

How It Works – Step by Step

  1. Report: Citizens report leaks/bursts/theft via WhatsApp with photos/videos and auto-location.
  2. Classify: AI algorithms classify the incident into leak, burst, or theft and prioritize based on urgency.
  3. Dashboard: Municipalities access a real-time dashboard that ranks issues by severity and location.
  4. Optimize: A routing algorithm finds the shortest path for repair technicians to cover all reported leaks efficiently, saving time, fuel, and effort.
  5. Notify: Citizens are notified at every stage, receipt, assignment, repair, and impact.
  6. Reward: Citizens receive a brand-sponsored scratch card (like Ubereats/Swiggy/Amazon Pay models) with discounts, cash-back, or social credit for their contributions.
  7. Reflect: Weekly summaries show how much water was saved, how their report helped, and their rank in the local community.

Unique Features

Bilateral Feedback Loop: Citizens stay informed with real-time updates, keeping them engaged.

Impact Visualizer: Feedback isn’t just a ‘thank you’; it’s a visual: “You saved 12,000 glasses of water.”

AI-Enabled Prioritization: Trained on local data to distinguish between minor leaks and major bursts.

Gamification for Youth: Optional light gamification modules like badges and water-saving points.

In-App Educational Modules: Teach people the difference between leaks, bursts, and thefts.

Community Leaderboards: Encourage collective action and healthy local competition.

Why WhatsApp?

  • It’s South Africa’s most widely used messaging platform.
  • No need for new downloads or digital onboarding.
  • High compatibility with low-end smartphones.
  • Users already trust it and use it daily.

Behavioral Science at the Core

LeakLink isn’t just tech—it’s psychology.

  • Nudges: Scratch cards, thank-you messages, and visual impact metrics drive repeated engagement.
  • Community Trust: Showing water saved builds transparency and collective pride.
  • Accessible Entry Points: Even non-tech-savvy citizens can participate easily.
  • Youth Mobilization: School kits, community contests, and mobile games keep young people involved.

Revenue & Sustainability Model

  • Brand Sponsorships: Each scratch card is a chance for brands to showcase offers. Think of it like Swiggy Super or Google Pay Rewards.
  • CSR Support: Water-intensive corporations can fund backend operations as part of their CSR mandates.
  • Freemium for Municipalities: Basic dashboard is free. Premium services like routing optimization and analytics offered on a subscription.
  • NGO Partnerships: For outreach, trust-building, and hyperlocal campaigns.
  • Minimal Tech Overhead: Single central dashboard, lightweight AI hosted on a secure web server.

Implementation Plan

  1. Pilot in 2 municipalities with WhatsApp integration and AI backend
  2. Outreach via NGOs, radio, community centers, schools, WhatsApp broadcast groups
  3. Train municipal staff on dashboard usage and route optimization tools
  4. Launch branded reward partnerships with 2–3 local or pan-African companies
  5. Measure engagement, repeat use, water saved, and report resolution time

Challenges & Mitigations

  • Smartphone Access: Using WhatsApp ensures widest possible reach.
  • System Abuse: Duplicate reports and fake submissions filtered using AI + community flagging.
  • Slow Municipal Response: Visual progress tracker holds authorities accountable.
  • Digital Literacy: Future versions will include voice prompts, vernacular support, and low data modes.

Data Privacy & Ethics

  • No personal data shared without consent
  • Reports anonymized and encrypted
  • GPS optional
  • Data deletable on user request
  • Compliant with South Africa’s POPIA

Meet the Team

Contact us @

Email: [email protected]