a s s i s t e d b y t h e w o r l d b a n k january...

January – March, 2010

HYDROLOGY PROJECT-II

A S S I S T E D B Y T H E W O R L D B A N K

NEWSLETTER

The importance of HP to India

HP-II crucial for India?You bet it is!The objective of HP-II is to develop a sustainable Hydrological Information System and make the most efficient and optimum use of available water resources so that everyone gets a fair share of this scarce resource.

When talking about water, people immediately think of drinking water. And yes, unfortunately a large number of people in India still do not have access to clean drinking water, but this has more to do with distribution than with water availability as the 5% needed for drinking water can always be found.

The much bigger issue lies with the development of the country at large. It is really quite simple: no nation can develop without adequate water resources. Virtually every economic sector needs water. Without water, you can literally say goodbye to industrial g rowth and forget altogether expanding the agricultural sector.

The sad thing is that water resources are limited. To make matters worse, the supply of usable water in India is under ever-increasing pressure as demand grows day by day. And where there is a great demand but limited supply, you get tussles which in the worst-case scenario may develop into war.

Limited resources do not have to be detrimental if they get managed well and distribution is equitable. This is where HP-II comes in - for good management, reliable and frequently updated information is essential.

Under HP-II, an array of different types of measuring equipment are updated and installed on the water bodies of thirteen Indian States. This measuring equipment allows for the collection of data on the quantity and


This is the first edition of

Hydrology Project Phase-II

( H P - I I ) n e w s l e t t e r

designed to provide the latest

information on the status of

HP- II as well as an overview of

HP-II activities in the various

agencies while highlighting

specific achievements and

giving a look ahead to upcoming events. We hope that this

newsletter will give the HP-II implementing agencies the

opportunity to learn about developments in other states in

particular and from the rapidly advancing world of hydrology in

general.

In this issue the importance of HP-II is highlighted. There is no

doubt that HP-II is crucial to India. Everybody realises that no

time should be wasted in implementing technologies and

procedures to help avoid floods and drought tragedies and the

HP-II can be a great help in this.

With this in mind I am delighted to see that some of the

agencies are off to a flying start. NIH and BBMB are moving

ahead under HP-II to get India's first Decision Support System,

DSS (Planning) and DSS (Real Time) on the ground.

Maharashtra, one of the most successful states under HP-I, is

determined to build further on their success.

It is important and imperative that these things get highlighted

and disseminated to a wider audience. The most beautiful data

centres could be set-up in the states but if no one knows about it,

they are of no use. So, internal and external awareness

programmes are the need of the day. Perhaps this newsletter

can also function as a template to develop agency-specific

promotional material.

At the same time, your feedback on this newsletter and

suggestions to improve its contents and effectiveness is

welcome. Just send an email with your name, title and postal

address to [email protected].

I appreciate the PCS staff, the TAMC, and all HP-II related staff

who contributed in making this newsletter a reality.

Regards,

Umesh Narayan Panjiar

Secretary MoWR

For a free subscription to the HP Newslettersend us an email to: [email protected]

Foreword

the quality of the available water. With this data, it is possible to ensure that the water available is optimally used and distributed.

Water management is fast becoming one of the most important strategic inputs between countries.

Essential to water management is data on water quantity and quality so that each party can prove what the state of their water resources is. HP ensures that India has this information so it can negotiate the best solutions for India.

Without information on water, a scenario as filmed in the block-buster James Bond film Quantum of Solace is not far from fiction.

So yes, HP is crucial for India and plays a crucial role in the life of each and every Indian, even though most will never ever be aware of it.

1% Fresh Water

Global Water Availability

2% Arctic & Antarctic

97% In The Sea

3


What is HP-II and how does it relate to HP-I?

The main objective of Hydrology Project II is to extend and promote the sustained and effective use of hydrological information by all potential users.

This is to be achieved by improving the existing systems and by developing an integrated and comprehensive hydrological data collection and information system in India.

Hydrology Project Phase II (HP-II) is the follow-up to the Hydrology Project Phase I (HP-I) and will be implemented by the Surface Water (SW) and Ground Water (GW) departments in 13 states and 8 central agencies.

Of the 13 states, nine were already part of HP-I namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.

In addition, four new states joined in HP-II: Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Puducherry and Punjab.

Besides the states, the following eight central agencies are involved in HP-II:

• Ministry of Water Resources • Central Water Commission • Central Ground Water Board • National Institute of Hydrology • Central Water and Power Research

Station• India Meteorological Department • Central Pollution Control Board • Bhakra Beas Management Board

The project has three main components:

1. Ins t i tu t iona l s t r eng then ing by consolidating the activities set up under HP-I including the setting up of awareness - ra i s ing prog rammes, encouraging the dissemination and sharing of knowledge and by implementing support.

2. Ver t ical extension through the advancement of hydrological design aids, the development of decision support systems, both Planning & Real-time, and the implementation of purpose-driven studies.

3. Horizontal expansion by supporting the

upgrading and the further establishment of

the data collection network in new states, the

expansion of data processing and

management systems and by setting up and

executing purpose-driven studies and

training.

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Umesh Narayan Panjiar, Secretary MoWR

Please feel free to contact the PCS at:Mohan Singh Place, 5th floor Baba Kharag Singh Marg, New Delhi 110 001

Tel: 011-2336 0353, 2334 0793 / 0787 / 0794http://hydrology-project.gov.in

Project Coordinating Secretariat

An introduction to HP-II

“The states that show an interest, those that apply their minds to the issues, we will support but they need to perform to get our support.”

Umesh Narayan PanjiarSecretary MoWR

Ramesh GroverSr. Jt. Commissioner

& Dy. Project Co-ordinator

S.P. S. ChauhanSr. Jt. Commissioner

H.S. SengarDeputy Commissioner

Avanish KantSr. Hydrogeologist

S.K. GaurDedicated

Finance Desk

R.K. KanodiaDeputy Commissioner-II

Narender KumarProject Co-ordinator HP-II & Commissioner (B&B)

A.K DwivediScientist-C


For further information, please contact: Director R.D. Singh of NIH on telephone: 01332 272 905 or the DHI project team leader Hans Christian

Ammentorp at: [email protected]

Together with the National Institute of

Hydrology in Roorkee (NIH), DHI, a

consultancy from Denmark, will be

collaborating under the Hydrology Project to

implement Decisions Support Systems

(DSS), Planning.

DSS-P will provide the authorities with a tool

to utilise the available water resources in a

sustainable manner. DSS-P ensures coherent

planning and efficient management of the

resources.

Among the nine case study basins that come

under the Hydrology Project, the Upper

Bhima in Maharashtra has been selected for

Contact the Team Leader, TAMCemail: [email protected]

Tel:011-43724385

National Institute of Hydrology &Decision Support System Planning Consultants

Technical Assistance & Management Consultants (TAMC)

The main support for the Project Co-ordination Secretariate (PCS) in the co-ordination of the work for the Hydrology Project is the Technical Assistance and Management Consultants (TAMC).

The TAMC is drawn from the resources of the major international consultancy company, Mott MacDonald, with its partners, which include Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the British Geological Survey, along with DHI and local consultants-TCS and ORG (who were part of the HP-I) The role of the TAMC is to provide technical and management support in project implementation, with expertise in a range of subjects (hydrology, groundwater, data

management, GIS, institutional development and management for example) available to provide assistance to the PCS and all implementing agencies.

The TAMC team is led by Stephen B. Parsons, a full-time team leader with previous experience in India and South Asia plus extensive experience in trans-boundary river basin management projects. He is supported by the TAMC team:• R. K. Visvanath, Procurement pecialist• Dr O. Minocha, Training Coordinator

and Specialist Advisor• B. L. Moza, Financial Management

Expert• N a r a y a n B h a t , C h a n g e

Management Expert

S

.

• A. Subramanyam, Hydrogeologist• Rajat Kumar, IT Specialist, and his team

from TCS• Hydrological and groundwater experts

and supporting staff

The TAMC team of experts are stationed in the PCS office in Mohan Singh Place in New Delhi, and are happy to respond to all requests for advice and assistance!

the first implementation of a DSS-P. The

Upper Bhima Basin up to the Ujjani dam has a

catchment area of 14,712 square km.

Setting up a DSS in this basin will help

improve the efficiency of water use, where

increasing urban requirements are competing

with irrigation demands. Possible solutions

will be tested for the alleviation of drought

and overexploitation of groundwater, which

is seen in parts of the basin. Floods also occur, both within and

downstream of the Upper Bhima, and a DSS

will help describe the trade-off between

operating the eighteen reservoirs for flood

control and ensuring the highest possible

storage at the end of the monsoon. A good

DSS would also help to mitigate Pollution

level seen in the Ujjani reservoir from

upstream sources.

An important objective of the project is to

ensure sufficient capacity in the states to apply

the DSS and set up the associated models for

other basins independently. NIH and DHI

are therefore initiating training courses at

NIH, Roorkee. The first course will focus on

rainfall-runoff and river basin modeling.

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Bhima Basin (Maharashtra) – Pilot Study for DSSThe geographical area of Maharashtra is 307.71 thousand square km which is mainly covered by the basins of Krishna, Godavari, Tapi and the west flowing rivers of the Konkan strip. In addition, in the north a small part falls in the Narmada Basin. The Bhima and Krishna are the major rivers of south Maharashtra (Krishna basin).

Maharashtra gets rain both from south-west and north-east monsoon winds and it tends to be highly variable ranging from 400 to 6000 mm within a four month period between June to September with the number of rainy days varying between 40 to 100. In the Krishna river sub-basin, the Sangli and Kolhapur districts are frequently and extensively flooded because of flood flowing Krishna, Warna, Koyna and Panchaganga rivers. The cities of Sangli, Kolhapur, Kurundwad, Patan and Karad tend to be worst affected. Similarly, heavy floods occur in the Bhima sub-basin inundating important

cities such as Pune, Daund, Shripur and Pandharpur. Floods have caused heavy damage to the life, property and crops.

The reservoirs in Maharashtra are operated with rigid schedules as a single entity based on the historical hydro-meteorological data and experience gained. These methods are often not adequate for establishing optimal operation decisions and especially in the integrated operation of multi-purpose multi-reservoirs it is difficult to get things right.

Bhakra & Beas Management Board and Real Time Decision Support System consultants

CHAIRMAN’S VISION

“Within BBMB we work with different states but we all work together as if we are one. I want to use the HP to increase transparency and to ensure sustainability. If we can show that it can be done, States will follow, I am 100% sure that they will follow.”

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) is one of the new agencies under HP-II which has entered into the real time DSS consultancy with Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) of Denmark. It is the first of its kind in India.

In 1960 an agreement was reached between India and Pakistan and the Indus Water Treaty was signed which apportioned the entire waters of three eastern rivers namely Sutlej, Beas and Ravi for its exclusive use of India and those of western rivers namely the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan

To manage the water bodies effectively, in 1976 the Bhakra Beas Management Board was set up and entrusted with the responsibility to operate, regulate and manage both reservoirs and the rivers in terms of water and power.

Over the year, the BBMB has been managing an integrated water system which ensured that the water from the eastern rivers are used to the maximum extent.As the rivers flow through the states, through various inter-state agreements, the BBMB has

In addition, the BBMB, with 2,864.73 megawatt generating capacity, also regulates the supply of power generated at the power houses of Bhakra Nangal Project and Beas Projects to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and to some common production consumers.

The regulation process of reservoirs involves assimilation of decision support data, decision making, and implementation of decisions taken on long term (seasonal), short term as well as day to day basis. Now we are getting into real HP territory.

Under the Hydrology Project, the BBMB will develop a Decision Support System, con-sisting of information systems linked to appropriate models to promote the use of the data generated by the Hydrological Information System (HIS) to better support decision making. Specifically for the BBMB the focus will be on developing a real-time Decision Supporting System (DSS), the first in the country.

The development of DSS on real-time will use the latest technology which requires massive collaboration with a number of agencies in various related fields.

The signing of an MoU with the Himachal Government for sharing of data under HP-II and the MoUs under consideration with the academic institutions, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting and the hydropower developers in the Sutlej and Beas basins for the sharing of meteorological stations are some of the concrete steps that BBMB has taken.

Manual data observation and transmission results are sent out only periodically resulting in considerable time lags between data observed in field and its communication to decision-making level which sometime leaves little time to issue flood forecasting, let alone flood the warning.

Under the Hydrology Project, the Government of Maharashtra will be establishing a real-time data acquisition system with a flood forecasting network in the Krishna river basin and the Bhima sub-basins.

AQUISITION TARGETS FOR THE KRISHNA AND BHIMA BASIN

Cost in INR (million)

- Real-time data acquisition system- Real-time DSS consultancy for flood

forecast ing ( including: software, testing, calibration and training)

- Supporting civil works- Supporting goods (including: IT,

hardware, database, etc.)

125125

2525

300TOTAL

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a pan-state approach whereby the aim is to balance supply on the basis of water availability and state requirements.


7

Maharashtra Water Resources Management:where commitment and drive make the difference

The first thing you notice when you visit the water resources departments in Maharashtra is their ambition. Even before you speak to anybody you sense an enormous degree of organisation and everything being under control.

Under HP-I, the whole network of observation stations has been improved and expanded.

A website was developed on which hydrological data was supplied and updated as frequently as the data collected in (see: www.mahahp.org). By enhancing its communications with media, it managed to get a column in about every Maharashtrian newspaper and hydrology data is now published almost daily.

EXCELLENT INITIATIVE!To plan for the optimal use of water resources, for every new project in Maharashtra that will use more than 0.15 Mcum of water, it is mandatory to obtain a water availability certificate before they can start operations.

The responsibility of issuing such certificates is assigned to the Chief Engineer of the Hydrology Project in Nashik. The certificates are based upon the water quantity using hydro- meteorological data generated under the Hydrology Project. The Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority will only clear new projects if they have such certificates as well as design notes issued by Hydrology Project.

Since December 2003, 713 certificates have been issued and 382 proposals have been rejected on the basis of non- availability of water or incomplete hydrological studies.

Hydrology Data Users Groups

Maharashtra was quick to realise the importance of involving all stake-holders and already set up Hydrology Data User Groups (HDUG). Under HP-I now in 2009 they have nearly 1500 active HDUG members across a range of stake-holders.

Interestingly, in Maharashtra everybody can become an HDUG member but Maharashtra demands active and especially overall involvement. So anybody who wants to be part of an HDUG has to take an oath in which they pledge that they will always treat water with respect, conserve it whenever possible and prevent water pollution.

For real-time to be successful your observation network should always work. You can do this by creating super-experts. They should know everything about the equipment; how to read it, how to maintain it, how to service it and how to repair it. They are fully responsible. So there can be no excuses. Only then you can have a reliable real-time system.

Mark Heggli, PresidentInnovative Hydrology & DHI consultant

pollution.

At the moment these are just warning cards, but as under HP-II more and more real-time data will become available, Maharashtra is planning to link performance at village level to financial incentives and this way make communities integrated partners in water management.


V. V. Gaikwad Secretary (WR) WRD, GoM

H. T. Mendhegiri, Chief Engineer Hydrology Project (Surface Water)

A.K. Jain, IASPrincipal Secretary

Water Supply and Sanitation

Under HP-II the departments are planning to expand this data-sharing even further. The department is planning to set up internet kiosks in all villages which will allow anybody to come in and check on-line what the current hydrological situation based on the latest available data.

But to dance the tango you need a partner so departments expect something in return from the general public. Department is planning to make local Communities responsible for the upkeep of monitoring stations and to manage and improve their water resources.

In the field of water quality this is already put in action. Taking a cue from football, the departments issue green cards to those communities where the water quality is good and red cards where the statistics indicate

Is your child a hydrologist in the bud?

Hydrology Project II, Mohan Singh Place (5th floor), Baba Kharag Singh Marg, Connaught Place, New Delhi - 110 001

Tel: 011-23747060 / 4752, Fax: 011-23340787, Email: [email protected], Web: http://hydrology-project.gov.in

As a parent, the future of your children is surely your main concern. How will you make sure they will be able to face the big world with all its challenges? Most parents place enormous emphasis on education and rightly so, but when it comes to career choice it is not easy to advise a child.

Most teenagers dream of jobs that are glamorous, offer high salaries (quickly) and will give them a chance to travel the world. Until recently the answer was “Go and do an MBA”.

But since the current global meltdown, MBA education gets a lot of stick. To say that greedy, arrogant MBAers are solely responsible for the current economic troubles is perhaps a bit much but it seems that MBA education has not escaped totally without blame.

As we all know, the world over there are problems with water. Hydrologists are necessary everywhere, in developing as well as developed nations. The fact of the matter is that there is not a single country without water troubles and hence a hydrologist with a good command in English can work wherever he or she fancies.

Even for those who decide to work in India,

there are plenty of travel opportunities because water dilemmas are a global phenomenon, and there are also many international conferences and seminars worth attending.

Governmental agencies, corporates and international organisations like the World Bank all need hydrologists. As a result, hydrologists can chose what they want to be, be it industrial consultants, government officers, university professors or scientific researchers. The beauty of it is that due to the enormous shortages of hydrologists, salaries are pretty good, while job competition is low

and job security high. In the next few years, employment opportunities are expected to grow at least 25% globally and even more in India. Many of these openings will involve consulting for the private sector which offers great earning potential.

Also in the longer term the future is bright for hydrologists, especially for those with master degrees. And the best is that additional courses do not have to cost the earth because since there is such a demand for hydrologists, there many grants available.


Courtesy: Hindustan Times

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