of the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, India
Consultant to the World Bank
1. INDIA
The principal research agency of hydrology in India is the National Institute of Hydrology - Roorkee (NIH).
NIH's mission
is to research and develop world-class knowledge and expertise in the hydrological sciences and other water-related disciplines.
The institute carries out basic, applied, and strategic research in hydrology and water resources.
NIH was established in 1978 as an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India.
It aims to develop methodologies for the optimum utilization of water resources,
to develop methodologies for water and environmental sustainability, to propagate emerging technologies in water resources development,
to save society from water related hazards, and to develop mass awareness for water conservation and optimum utilization.
NIH operates through five scientific divisions:
The Environmental Hydrology division performs research and development in the following areas: (1) Surface, ground, and wastewater
quality monitoring and modeling; (2) contaminant transport modeling; (3) lake ecosystems; (4) erosion
and sedimentation; (5) point and non-point source pollution; (6) low-cost treatment and remedial technologies; (7) environmental
impact assessment; and (8) environmental flow requirements. The division features a well equipped Water Quality laboratory,
with facilities and equipment for the analysis of water samples.
The Groundwater Hydrology division performs research and development in the following areas:
(1) Aquifer parameter estimation; (2) aquifer response to untoward stresses; (3) groundwater assessment, modeling,
and management; (4) coastal groundwater dynamics; (5) contaminant transport modeling;
(6) groundwater recharge, and (7) impact of climate change on groundwater resources. The division features a Numerical Groundwater Modeling
laboratory, with advanced computational facilities and technologies for groundwater assessment, modeling, and management.
The Hydrological Investigations division performs research and development in the following areas:
(1) Surface and groundwater interaction;
(2) groundwater recharge due to rain and irrigation;
(3) identification of recharge zones in springs and rejuvenation of springs;
(4) lake studies;
(5) aquifer dynamics;
(6) seawater intrusion; and
(7) effectiveness of artificial recharge.
The division operates two laboratories: (1) Nuclear Hydrology Laboratory, and (2) Hydrological Instrumentation Laboratory.
The Nuclear Hydrology laboratory features facilities and equipment to measure various types of radioactive and stable isotopes.
The Hydrological Instrumentation laboratory features facilities and equipment for
the measurement and demonstration of hydrometeorological parameters.
The Surface Water Hydrology division performs research and development in the following areas:
(1) Water availability, flow duration, and environmental flow requirements;
(2) hydrological modeling;
(3) flood estimation;
(4) flood routing;
(5) structural and nonstructural flood management;
(6) watershed management for flood control;
(7) sedimentation studies for flood control;
(8) socioeconomic aspects of flood disasters;
(9) urban hydrology;
(10) drought hydrology and management; and
(11) impact of climate change on water resources.
The division has a Soil and Water laboratory, featuring facilities and equipment to measure soil moisture, particle size,
infiltration rate, and other soil properties. In addition, the division has a Snow and Glacier laboratory, with
a glaciological research exhibition
facility, mountaineering equipment, hydrological instruments, sediment samples, and related pictorial displays, and
a Hydrometeorological Observatory .
The Water Resources Systems division performs research and development in the following areas:
(1) decision-support systems for integrated river basin planning and management;
(2) reservoir operation;
(3) irrigation systems;
(4) river basin planning;
(5) hydrological predictions in ungaged basins; and
(6) soft-computing techniques such as artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, and fuzzy logic models,
for the analysis of water resources systems. The division operates a Remote Sensing laboratory, with facilities
and equipment to apply remote sensing and GIS tools for the solution of diverse water resources problems.
In addition to its divisions and laboratories, NIH has a Research Coordination and Management Unit (RCMU)
which coordinates research activities and networking with other national and international organizations.
RCMU focuses on lectures, publications, capacity building programmes, the NIH newsletter, promotion of international cooperation,
facilitation of technology commercialization, and other dissemination tasks.
To facilitate its regional activities across India, NIH as four regional centres and two centres for flood management studies, as follows:
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