Flooded road during a flood caused by heavy rain
Cover Flooded road during a flood caused by heavy rain

The Malaysian app developer has plans to collaborate with government agencies to better coordinate providing resources and aid to flood victims

Terato Tech, founded by 2022 Gen.T honouree Reza Razali, announced an update for its KitaJaga app, including improved flood warning capabilities to help Malaysians brace for the coming monsoon season. 

KitaJaga was developed in July 2021 by a team of app developers at Terato Tech who wanted to enable people in the tropical Southeast Asian country to request aid during the Covid-19 lockdown by raising a virtual white flag. Since its inception, the app has recorded 97,000 white flags raised across the country and connected those in need with non-governmental organisations and aid providers. 

The team then developed Kitajaga Banjir in late 2021 to help people affected by the monsoon floods get aid. “We felt the app needed to be enhanced to serve the communities adversely affected by the floods,” explains Reza. 

“We hope to collaborate with government agencies to address residents’ needs and coordinate rescue efforts using information from the app.” 

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Photo 1 of 2 The updated Kitajaga app allows users to share their current location and request for help in the event of a flood
Photo 2 of 2 Reza Razali, founder of Terato Tech (Photo: Imran Sulaiman)

Available for iOS and Android devices, the latest version of the Kitajaga app allows users to interact via a chat box without revealing their mobile number. The Banjir Watch (Flood Watch) feature, which helps users monitor the flood situation in and around their area by providing them with updates every 15 minutes. 

Terato Tech has also added an automated pin feature that allows users to request for help via Twitter by using the hashtag @banjirwatch. Users need only to provide their name, location and what help they require, and the pin will be automatically created on the app.

Users can also find out how safe their location is, as the app will show them their surrounding area and colour-code flood alerts according to the level of danger. The visibility of the various states of danger in flood areas will be shown as soon as the Kitajaga app is launched. 

Read more news about the Gen.T community. See all the honourees on the Gen.T List 2022.