St Anthony’s College developed apps KremCare bagged 2nd prize in National Competition

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 4, 2025

Out of 305 participating teams from across the country, St. Anthony’s College, Shillong, bagged the second prize for their project “KremCare” in the prestigious national-level competition titled “110 Hours Hackathon.”

The event was organized by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, Kolkata, on June 30, 2025, to commemorate 110 years of ZSI’s founding. The central theme of the hackathon was Biodiversity and Climate Change. It formed part of the Animal Taxonomy Summit, a three-day event held from June 30 to July 2, 2025.

The team from St. Anthony’s College was led by Dr. Damanbha Lyngdoh, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, and included Thyanswer Challam, Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, and Saurabh Kumar Thapa, System Administrator, Computer Science.

The final event was graced by Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, as Chief Guest. Other dignitaries included Sushil Kumar Awasthi, IFS, Director General of Forests & Special Secretary, MoEFCC; Nameeta Prasad, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC; and Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI.

The first prize went to a team from Ladakh, with St. Anthony’s College securing second place and Digha taking third.

The winning project from St. Anthony’s College, titled “Meghalaya’s Hidden World: Biodiversity and Sustainability in Meghalaya’s Caves,” centred around an app-based module called CaveSense.

This low-cost, sensor-based monitoring system is designed to protect delicate cave ecosystems by detecting real-time environmental and human disturbances. CaveSense integrates motion, vibration, and environmental sensors with wireless data logging and alert systems. It is built for rugged cave terrains and supports long-term ecological monitoring and tourism impact assessment.

The project also emphasizes community engagement and outreach, ensuring local participation in cave conservation. The app is part of a larger conservation initiative, KremCare, which aims to promote sustainable, grassroots-driven protection of Meghalaya’s rich cave ecosystems.