Hydrology Project

Hydrology Project - I

World Bank aided Hydrology Project was sanctioned in 1997 under the Ministry of Water Resources. The project implemented with the coordination of participating 9 Southern States.

Objectives of the Project

The aim of the Hydrology Project was to develop comprehensive, easily accessible and user friendly databases covering all aspects of Hydrological Cycle, including surface water and ground water in terms of quantity and quality and climatic measurements, particularly of rainfall involving complex web of inter-state and intra-governmental relationship. This is assisting in development of more reliable spatially intensive data on water resources. The project further aimed at making the hydrological information available for planning and management of water resources and other legitimate uses and promoting its utilisation. Achievement of these goals involved improvement of institutional and organisational arrangements, technical capabilities, and physical facilities available for collection, processing and dissemination of hydrological and hydrometeorological information. The ultimate aim of the project was to deliver a functional demand driven Hydrological Information System (HIS) with improved institutional capacity to build, operate and utilise HIS to the benefit of the different user groups and to encourage cooperation among the different participating agencies through data exchange. The development of the databases would support major aspects of India's Water Policy, particularly with regards to water allocation and planning and management of water resources development at the National, State, Basin and Project level.

Achievements

The CGWB under Hydrology Project has set up Computer Data Centres at 26 offices and have upgraded 14 Water Quality Laboratories. Also 2239 piezometer monitoring wells have been constructed for monitoring the position of ground water level and water quality. Out of these 1200 Piezometers have been fitted with the Digital Water Level Recorders. In addition to this, 2300 persons (on rotation basis) have been trained in various training courses.

This project has facilitated computerization of voluminous data collected over the years by CGWB and State Ground Water Organisations. A dedicated ground water processing and application software, named as Groundwater Estimation and Management System (GEMS) has been developed through M/S Tata Infotech Limited for Ground Water Data Processing Centers. This software has the facility for hydrogeologiacal data entry, data validation, data processing including ground water resource estimation. Out puts are in form of various text reports, charts, diagrams and maps. This software can also export/import data to/from various standard formats.

A data storage software, namely, Water Information System for Online Data Mangement (WISDOM) have also been developed by Central Water Commission (CWC) through M/S Rolta India Limited for storing the data and preparation of the catalogue of the available data. Such catalogue is regularly being updated and published on the server and is accessible to the user community through internet. Using this facility authentic data users are able to place order for data and information from the concerned data owner departments.

Hydrology Project - II (HP- II)

The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to extend and promote the sustained and effective use of the HIS by all potential users concerned with water resources planning and management, both public and private, thereby contributing to improved productivity and cost-effectiveness of water-related investments in the 13 states and eight Central agencies. The coverage of existing states under the project is to help these agencies from moving over from development of HIS (as in HP-I) towards use of HIS in water resources planning and management. The PDO will be achieved by: (a) strengthening the capacity of hydrology departments (surface and groundwater) to develop and sustain the use of the HIS for hydrological designs and decision tools thus creating enabling environment for improved integrated water resources planning and management; (b) improving the capabilities of implementing agencies at state/central level in using HIS for efficient water resource planning and management reducing vulnerability to floods and droughts and thereby meeting the country’s poverty reduction objectives; (c) establishing and enhancing user-friendly, demand responsive and easily accessible HIS to improve shared vision and transparency of HIS between all users; and (d) improving access to the HIS by public agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector through awareness building supporting outreach services. Greater use of an improved HIS is expected to have a broad but definite impact on the planning and design of water resources schemes, from which the rural and urban poor will have secure and sustainable access to water for multi-purpose livelihood uses.