Mervin Raja

Salam sejahtera! My name is Mervin Raja, a senior studying Computer Science with a minor in Entrepreneurship at Brigham Young University–Hawaii. I grew up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I have seen how flooding can disrupt daily life and impact communities.

SmartDrain AI was inspired by the idea that flooding doesn’t happen instantly as it builds up over time due to blocked or poorly monitored drainage systems. I wanted to explore how technology could shift this from a reactive problem into a predictive solution.

I developed a prototype using a water-level sensor, Arduino, and Raspberry Pi to monitor drainage conditions in real time. Through trial and error, I worked on stabilizing sensor readings, improving system communication, and integrating a GSM module to automatically alert when water levels become critical. I later added a dashboard and AI-based logic to analyze trends and estimate potential flooding.

Presenting SmartDrain AI at the Great Ideas 2025 competition pushed me to think beyond just building the system. It helped me clearly define the problem, communicate its value, and consider how it could be scaled into a real-world solution.

SmartDrain AI is one of my successful projects and it reflects my interest in combining programming, IT systems, and real-world problem solving to create practical and impactful solutions.

I’m excited to continue developing SmartDrain AI into something scalable for smarter and more resilient communities.