Real-time hydrology data for the whole country soon

Maharashtra is one of the best managed States in terms of water and one of the earliest to opt for the hydro meteorological system.

December 26, 2014 06:27 pm | Updated 06:45 pm IST - NEW DELHI:

M. Louis John, Chief Engineer of  the Tamil Nadu Ground Water and Surface Water Resources Data Centre, Taramani, Chennai, addressing a workshop on 'Decision Support Systems' for Vaippar and Tamirabharani Basins under the World Bank aided Hydrology Project Phase - II. File photo  A. Shaikmohideen

M. Louis John, Chief Engineer of the Tamil Nadu Ground Water and Surface Water Resources Data Centre, Taramani, Chennai, addressing a workshop on 'Decision Support Systems' for Vaippar and Tamirabharani Basins under the World Bank aided Hydrology Project Phase - II. File photo A. Shaikmohideen

With flood damage in the country pegged in the range of Rs. 6000 crores a year according to official estimates, the country is poised to adopt a World Bank-funded hydrology project which has already made a difference in 13 States which opted for it in the earlier two phases.

Under the proposed expansion of the project, States will be able to generate and digitise their own data without waiting for Central help. The project for the whole country is estimated to cost Rs. 3000 crores.

The Hydrology Project, the first phase of which began about 20 years ago, has digitised real time data in 13 States, according to Anju Gaur, senior water specialist, World Bank. Some of the main reasons for floods are poor reservoir management systems as was witnessed some years ago in Western Maharashtra. Farmers sometimes plant crops without knowing there is assured water from reservoirs and face problems.

There is no reliable hydrological data and some of the figures as are old as 1993. The project in partnership with the Union water resources ministry and other agencies was aimed at developing monitoring systems in the states. The use of such data on water storage and availability is unlimited, Ms Gaur pointed out and can be used in decision support system (DSS). The project has completed two phases and has established the basis for a Hydrological Information system(HIS) for reliable water records.

Data collection was near primitive as recent as 2009 when in Karnataka, gauge readers from drought affected areas would send in figures on post cards which took a while. Karnataka first asked for mobile phones so that data could be sent speedily and later moved to setting up systems for real- time data since gauge readers often did not venture into the field.

The major handicap was the unwillingness to share data across states citing confidentiality issues. There is a culture of not sharing data and the project resulted in a major breakthrough by the government which introduced a data policy, Ms Gaur said.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board and the Krishna Bhima Basin in Maharashtra are two examples where real time water data has helped take many decisions including prevent floods. Maharashtra is one of the best managed States in terms of water, Ms Gaur said and one of the earliest to go in for the hydro meteorological system.

The project gives data which can help water releases from reservoirs and prevent untimely floods. The operating costs have gone down by fifty percent due to advance knowledge of water availability, rainfall and even water quality, Ms Gaur said.

Though the initial investment is high, over the years states have found that it is worthwhile. “The project made information travel faster than flood waters,” remarked Ms Gaur. The data also uses satellite to help figure the amount of snow melt, and make projections on the flows into the reservoir- this is particularly useful in the case of the Bhakra basin.

Apart from flood prevention, the data and real time monitoring of water flows also helps in analysing and testing proposed projects. Ms Gaur said a tunnel project to divert water in Pune was dropped as a result.

As part of the project, water quality stations have been set up in the Ganga river at ten locations from Hrishikesh to Kolkata. The Rs 550 crore project in two phases which is complete, is a loan to the Indian government and aimed at a complete standardised centralised water data system.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.