Water Resources Management

WATER- the most 'underpriced' resource

2011-12-29T12:42:00.000+05:30

The Deputy Chairperson of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on Wednesday said

Water is the most 'underpriced resource' of the country and called for setting up of a regulatory mechanism to ensure rational water use.
Voicing concern over the increasing scarcity of water, Ahluwalia asserted there was an acute lack of awareness among people about sustainable usage of resources.
"Water is the most seriously under-priced resource in the country. I mean if you were to do any kind of economic costing, many people are assuming that water itself has no value, that the only thing, the cost, is the cost of the pipe and the cost of collecting it," said Ahluwalia.
"But water is becoming scarce. It has an opportunity cost," he added.

Ahluwalia further highlighted the need to

Initiate and set up water regulation systems and institutions to prevent a possible disaster.

"I mean, we should do better pricing of water. But actually, the prices that would be needed in order to bring about rational water use are far too high. So, it has to be some form of regulatory control. Even the legal basis for this regulatory control does not exist," he said.
The issue of water remains a crucial flashpoint within India as well as with its neighbouring countries. For instance, India and Bangladesh continue to be at loggerheads over the distribution of water from the River Ganges that flows through both countries. (ANI)

How to increase Water User Efficiency in Irrigation Sector

2011-12-19T13:55:00.000+05:30

How to increase Water User Efficiency in Irrigation Sector

Some of the management practices that need to be taken up in right earnest are

Implementation of restructured CAD&WM programme in States
Participatory irrigation management (PIM), modernisation of irrigation system
Rationalization of water rates
Benchmarking of irrigation systems
Conjunctive use of surface and ground water
On farm management, etc.

Africa and Water Resources Management (WRM)

2011-12-13T22:07:00.000+05:30

Water management is critical for meeting Africa’s development challenges.
Though water is vital for agriculture, only about 7 per cent of Africa’s cultivated land is irrigated.
Hydropower is also largely undeveloped in Africa; less than 10 per cent of its potential has been tapped.
Water for people and animals is vital for survival and livelihoods, yet only 58 per cent of Africans have access to safe drinking water.
In addition, the majority of people in Africa live in countries which share water with other countries, such as the riparian countries of the Gambia, Nile, Niger, Senegal, Zambezi, Volta and Congo River basins. They are amongst the poorest and most food insecure countries in the world, in regions that are highly vulnerable to water shocks, including recurrent floods and droughts.
In addition to natural climate variation in Africa there is an urgent need to determine and mitigate the potential impacts of climate change and to ensure that growth and poverty reduction efforts result in resilience to climate change. The centrality of shared waters in Africa has motivated many countries to seek regional cooperation through river basin organizations.

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Source : World Bank's site

“Sustaining Water for All in a Changing Climate” (2010)- implementation progress report

2011-10-28T15:16:00.001+05:30

The implementation progress report “Sustaining Water for All in a Changing Climate” (2010) reaffirms the strategic directions for the World Bank Group’s approach to supporting water resources management. Itemphasizes a water development agenda that is integrated with energy, climate, agriculture, land use, and overall economic development and the importance of tackling institutional reforms along with infrastructure upgrades.
World Bank - water-resources-management- Page Link

Download this 117 page Report in pdf form
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World Bank lending in Water Resources Management (WRM) has doubled since 2009. WRM is emerging as a driving theme in the Bank’s portfolio, having increased from $274 million in 2006 to $2.0 billion in 2011.
This funding has responded to the need to address both development and management issues by promoting integrated water resources planning, and by tackling institutional reforms along with infrastructure upgrades for various sectors in the context of green, climate-resilient growth. These issues include flood management, hydropower, agricultural water management, pollution control, transboundary water management and climate change adaptation.
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World Bank Projects in South Asia

2011-10-03T09:09:00.000+05:30

http://water.worldbank.org/water/wb_projects?title=&regionname[]=SOUTH+ASIA

Publications on Water Resources Management

2011-10-03T08:38:00.000+05:30

Publications on Water Resources Management

National Water Policy - An alternative draft for consideration by Ramaswamy R Iyer - Economic and Political Weekly

2011-07-11T21:39:00.000+05:30

National Water Policy - An alternative draft for consideration by Ramaswamy R Iyer - Economic and Political Weekly

Mother of All Links related to " Water Resources" at global level

2011-02-27T20:47:00.000+05:30

Mother of All Links related to " Water Resources" at global level

ICOLD Book on " Dams & the World Water"

2011-02-27T20:00:00.000+05:30

ICOLD Book on " Dams & the World Water"

Conjunctive Use of GroundWater and SurfaceWater

2011-02-26T11:07:00.000+05:30

World Bank Site says

"Conjunctive water use refers to simultaneous use of surface water and groundwater to meet crop demand.

To optimize conjunctive use of water, the best way forward is to concentrate on capacity building of irrigation system managers to improve system management and reshape hydraulic infrastructure of large and small-surface systems.

To sustain groundwater use in tube well-irrigated areas, enhancing recharge from precipitation and surface water imports is necessary.

None of these improvements can be made without the proper institutional and organizational development, including investment in the capacities of local governments to lead on participatory groundwater management and integrated water resources management. "

For more info :

CONJUNCTIVE USE OF GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER

Global changes and water resources

2011-02-25T11:04:00.001+05:30

Global changes and water resources

-How climatic and human-induced changes will affect the world’s water resources.

-It has been difficult, even with current technology, to accurately assess the state of world water resources.

- There is no carefully maintained and clear record of global hydrologic change by which to judge the cumulative impact of human activities on the world’s freshwater and coastal support systems...

-While process-based hydrological research remains successful on a small scale, there is a critical need for synthesis studies of complex drainage basins on continental or global domains. This need has provided the impetus for several major international and national observational and modelling programmes.

-more on these studies at unesco site

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

2011-02-14T21:53:00.000+05:30

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of ecosystems and the environment.

IWRM is emerging as an accepted alternative to the sector-by-sector, top-down management style that has dominated in the past.

The basis of IWRM is that

The many different uses of finite water resources are interdependent. (High irrigation demands and polluted drainage flows from agriculture mean less freshwater for drinking or industrial use; contaminated municipal and industrial wastewater pollutes rivers and threatens ecosystems; if water has to be left in a river to protect fisheries and ecosystems, less can be diverted to grow crops.) There are plenty more examples of the basic theme that unregulated use of scarce water resources is wasteful and inherently unsustainable.

Integrated Water Resources Management is a cross-sectoral policy approach, designed to replace the traditional, fragmented sectoral approach to water resources and management that has led to poor services and unsustainable resource use.

IWRM is based on the understanding that water resources are an integral component of the ecosystem, a natural resource, and a social and economic good.

http://globalwaterpartnership.wordpress.com/what-is-iwrm/

Pay Attention to Water Issues- Some thoughts

2011-02-14T21:32:00.000+05:30

If you want to feed the world—and contribute to poverty reduction, human health, and economic prosperity—pay attention to water.
How can we feed a burgeoning population? Agriculture already uses some 70% of the world’s water. So if food production has to increase to feed today’s population (not to mention tomorrow’s), the stress on water resources will only get worse. How will we meet our energy needs? productivity issues? climate change issues on say wheat, rice?
Again, it’s about water. How will we eliminate many water borne diseases?
Water resources management is about a host of issues such as government policy, financing, allocation, transboundary conflict, and the ecosystem.
Sustainable development will not be achieved without a water secure world.
A water secure world harnesses water’s productive power and minimises its destructive force. It is a world where every person has enough safe, affordable water to lead a clean, healthy and productive life. It is a world where communities are protected from floods, droughts, landslides, erosion and water-borne diseases. Water security also means addressing environmental protection and the negative effects of poor management.
A water secure world reduces poverty, advances education, and increases living standards. It is a world where there is an improved quality of life for all, especially for the most vulnerable—usually women and children—who benefit most from good water governance.

http://globalwaterpartnership.wordpress.com/manage-water/

THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDROLOGICAL DATA

2011-01-22T22:10:00.000+05:30

THE IMPORTANCE OF HYDROLOGICAL
DATA

Hydrological observations are, in a broad sense, a method of clarifying

quantitatively each process in the water cycle, encompassing
an extremely wide range of phenomena. The prevention of disasters
caused by floods and droughts would be impossible without
rational forecasting technology based on an understanding of the
rainfall runoff phenomenon and statistical analysis of past hydrological
data, which cannot be achieved without hydrological
observations.

And whether intentional or not, human, social and
economic activities have a great impact on the hydrological cycle.
For example, large-scale changes in land use and/or the construction
of structures intended to control the hydrological cycle
change natural runoff patterns. It is extremely important to collect
and to analyse hydrological data continuously over long periods of
time in order to evaluate these effects and to take appropriate mitigation
measures.
Thanks to the rapid growth of data communication
networks in recent years, it is now possible to use these networks
to disseminate hydrological data and allow its on-line use by the
public. Information of this kind is extremely beneficial, because,
when a disaster is forecasted or actually occurs, users can obtain

real-time data and analyse it appropriately in order to prevent or to
minimize the disaster.
The accumulation and active use of hydrological data in
this way plays an extremely important role in total watershed
management, including flood control, water use and environmental
conservation.

Source: Hydrological Data Management Present State and Trends--

3 good books from WMO

2011-01-14T13:21:00.000+05:30

WMO (1994) Guide to Hydrological Practices, 5th ed., WMO-No. 168. Chapters 20, 21.
WMO (Terakawa, A) (2003) Hydrological Data Management: Present State and Trends, WMO-No. 964. (Available through http://www.wmo.int/).
WMO (2008) Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation, 7th ed., (Available through http://www.wmo.int/

Food for Thought in India

2010-12-30T22:59:00.000+05:30

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203513204576047541282652696.html

It is time for India's government to put its money where its mouth is.

New Delhi has raised some $30 billion since March by selling state assets and telecom airwaves. That is about as much as the country will attract in foreign direct investment this fiscal year.

The neglect of India's farms threatens the nation's economic future.

There is one area above all else where this money should be directed: food security. New Delhi talks a lot about guaranteeing food for India's poor, but there's a need for smart investment to address fundamental problems.

The neglect of India's farms poses a significant threat to the nation's economic future, not least through inflation. The persistence of double-digit increases in food prices earlier this year, regardless of weather, has made clear this is a structural problem.

Meanwhile, lagging productivity in agriculture is contributing to income inequality. The sector employs 52% of India's work force but the farm economy is growing at a rate of less than 2% a year. That is half its rate of growth in the late 1980s and 1990s. Yet GDP growth in agriculture is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty, compared with similar growth in other sectors, the World Bank estimates.

India's problems lie with infrastructure. A plan to target irrigation would be particularly compelling; 60% of India's farmland still depends on rainfall for its water needs. The Ministry of Agriculture's total annual budget, including spending on the development of such infrastructure, stands at just $4.6 billion, or 2% of India's annual budget.

Building more storage capacity is equally important, so that millions of tons of food grain don't rot in open fields. The good news here is that foreign retailers, which would build their own cold-storage capacity, are eager to enter India. And government co-investment and tax incentives would go a long way toward speeding up investment.

Building up research facilities and setting up education programs would be more fruitful than other handouts. For example, New Delhi subsidizes fertilizers, but fails to educate farmers on how to use them properly. The resulting overuse is actually reducing crop yields.

India's successive governments have been criticized for not delivering on promises to make India's economic growth more inclusive and sustainable. They should use the recent financial windfall to change that.

On drawing board, WB-funded water project for 12 cities

2010-12-30T22:52:00.000+05:30

India has decided to utilise a $1-billion loan from the World Bank to start round-the-clock paid water supply facilities in 12 major cities across the country. The union urban development ministry plans to launch the 24x7 water supply project on a pilot basis by 2012. "We are discussing the modalities of the project with the World Bank, which has given in-principle approval to the $1 billion worth of assistance. We are in the process of finalising the list of cities where the project will be launched," a ministry official told HT.

The selected cities would have to adopt mandatory reforms like levy of user charges for consumption, and installing a metering system to check wastage, added the official.

Sources said funds would start coming in by 2012, when the new five-year plan begins.

The project is, however, not an extension of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) — the ministry's flagship urban modernisation programme — that was launched in 2005 for a seven-year period with a total investment of Rs 1 lakh crore. Till date, 63 cities are part of the JNNURM.

"Though the broad outline of the programme would be similar to that of the JNNURM, but it is not going to be as broad-based because of limited funds. We will use the funds to modernise the water infrastructure," said another official.

A World Health Organization report has said that by 2017, India will become "water stressed" when the per capita availability will decline to 1600 cubic metre.

At present only two cities in the country — Jamshedpur and Nagpur — have 24x7 piped water supply systems. Only about 66% of the population in India has access to piped water.

A huge quantum of potable water gets wasted because of leakage on account of old and worn-out water pipelines, which has also resulted in inequitable distribution.

Water, crying for attention -The Hindu

2010-12-30T22:46:00.000+05:30

Water, crying for attention

Even though the National Water Policy 2002 addressed the various issues pertaining to sustainable development and efficient management of water resources, the ground level action after eight years is short on results but long on roll-out of a multiplicity of programmes.

G. Srinivasan
New Delhi, Dec. 29

On the water front, the writing on the wall is crystal clear with international institutions highlighting in recent years water-related issues and challenges in India's water sector and calling for timely action to recover the fast depleting resource that is a basic human necessity.
Latest in the litany of woes on the country's water front, after the World Bank and the World Economic Forum's lament, has come from the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB).
In a a draft ‘Water Operational Framework 2011-2020' ADB stated that “the Bank will be challenged by the water stress that dominate large parts of Asia, manifest most clearly in countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam”.
It explicitly cautioned that water shortages are likely to aggregate 40 per cent in developing Asia by 2030 and that in some countries such as India demand will exceed supply by 50 per cent.
While the data gleaned by the ADB were from Water Resources Group, which estimated the aggregate 2030 demand and supply at 1,498 billion cubic meters (BCM) and 744 BCM respectively, the country's National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) has assessed that “with the desired efficiencies, the water requirement by 2050 could be brought down to about 1,180 BCM in a high demand scenario.
It needs to be noted that the average annual water availability is estimated at 1,869 BCM.
The increase in population over the years has indubitably reduced the per capita availability. Whereas in 1951, the per capita water availability was 5,177 cubic metre a year, the per capita availability based on the population in 2001 census works out to be about 1,820 cubic metre a year.
As the 2011 Census findings will be known on April 1, the per capita availability of water would have definitely come down further.
As the Ministry of Water Resources has conceded that in view of the topographical constraints and hydrological features the utilisable water has been assessed to be about 1,123 BCM, NCIWRD projects the water requirement by about 843 BCM and 1180 BCM respectively provided the existing water resources are efficiently utilised.
Even though the National Water Policy 2002 addressed the various issues pertaining to sustainable development and efficient management of water resources, the ground level action after eight years is short on results but long on roll-out of a multiplicity of programmes and plan of actions purely as political gimmicks.
A House Panel report in April on inter-linking of rivers, deemed a crucial plank for providing a thrust to the whole water issue, has drawn attention to the fact that out of 30 identified links by the National Perspective Plan (NPP), the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for only one link, – the Ken-Betwa link – has been completed so far.
It said that though the DPRs for two other links, Par-Tapi-Narmada link and Damanganga-Pinjal link had been taken up in January 2009, the preparations of DPRs for remaining identified 27 links have not yet been taken up.
The nub of the matter is that though all the States had agreed to the inter-linking of river (ILR) programme in principle, problems did surface when it came to the brass-tacks and specifics of the issues of water sharing and other related benefits.
The long-pending Cauvery river water dispute between the riparian States of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is only one instance of the intransigence, albeit the lofty proclamation of the National Water Policy that the water sharing/distribution among the States should be guided by a national perspective with due regard to water resources availability and needs within river basins.
Policy analysts say that ILR is only one component and there are vexatious developments such as the alarming rate of ground water depletion, lack of potable water to lakhs of poor villagers and pollution of major rivers by the dumping of industrial waste and other dregs.
Unless a national campaign to underscore conservation, spatial distribution across the country and recharging of water tables is evolved, the battle lines for water would get clearly drawn.
It is a sad reflection of the reality that only 12 States have adopted the State Water Policy with Delhi, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli having pitched for the National Water Policy.
Critics warn that in the absence of a concerted move crafted by consensus to address the serious water problems plaguing the country, the warfare on water would break out before long, offering scant comfort to a high growth economy.
geeyes@thehindu.co.in

India-centric model needed to study impact on water resources

2010-12-30T22:33:00.000+05:30

India-centric model needed to study impact on water resources

Former secretary to the union ministry for water resources, C D Thatte, has highlighted the need for developing an India-centric model to study the impact of climate change on the monsoon system and river basin-wise water resources.

"We have to scale down global models to suit Indian requirements," Thatte said while presenting a broad overview of the theme papers furnished by international and national experts for the Global Indian Scientists and Technocrats (GIST) forum's maiden convention on `Sustainable use of water resources', which began here on Sunday.

"The contribution of snow or glacier melt in the rivers in North India is not as critical as it is made out to be," said Thatte, who also heads the GIST's scientific programme committee. He acknowledged that the present trend does suggest that the climate change might lead to a "slight" increase in precipitation, but insisted that there was no need to set alarm bells ringing.

A general consensus emerges from the theme papers that India's water resources in year 2050 are likely to be adequate provided the country takes apt steps to mop up the existing water resources potential in the next two to three decades, he said. This includes improving the water use efficiency, which is of vastly varying nature at present, and promoting reuse and recycling of fresh water resources (FWRs), he added.

From the viewpoint of hydrology and climate change, the experts have made out a strong case for expeditious development of the Indus, Ganga and Bramhaputra FWRs; adopting measures for storages as per the National Water Mission and building defences against floods/droughts, said Thatte.

He also called for a better understanding of the limitations of measures like water shed development and rain water harvesting, which, he said, should not be viewed as a magic wand.

Among other things, the experts have called for quickly building the remaining irrigation infrastructure for sustaining food production and security, besides tapping the huge potential for hydro-power in the Himalayan rivers and working out trade-offs and going for carbon credits.

"The supply of FWR in urban areas is fair, but augmentation of quality and quantity of water required for rural areas is needed," said Thatte. Efforts are also required for removing the waste water treatment mismatch; adopting zero effluent strategy for industry and going for organised drainage of irrigated areas to check non-point source pollutants of agriculture, he said.

Madhav Chitale, also former union water resources secretary, said, "India's capability for handling climate change issues is steadily growing, but the country needs more effort to handle issues related to hydraulogy. Especially, issues like regulating technologies like drilling of ground water resources. The drilling technology has been at the root of depleting ground water levels."

Chitale called for measures to strengthen field research on water resources. "We are strong in terms of laboratory and campus research, but we are weak when it comes to field research. The university pattern of study needs to be realigned with field research aspects," he said.

State minister for water resources Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar said, "The GIST provides a perfect platform for the scientists and technocrats to come out with long-term policy solutions for an integrated way of dealing with water resources. This will help us integrate the solutions into our water policy for the state."

Read more: 'India-centric model needed to study impact on water resources' - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/India-centric-model-needed-to-study-impact-on-water-resources-/articleshow/7169024.cms#ixzz19cDdewqh

Understanding Conventional and DWLR Assisted Water Level Monitoring

2010-12-10T20:45:00.002+05:30

The Hydrology Project has enabled construction of a large number of scientifically designed
piezometers tapping unconfined and the deeper aquifers. These piezometers have the
necessary hydraulic connection with the targeted aquifers and are suitably isolated from
overlying/underlying aquifers. Further, digital automatic water level recorders (DWLRs) are
installed in these piezometers. This ensures measurement of undistorted piezometric head
at the desired frequency, which may be much larger than the present frequency. In fact, the
frequency may be so high that the resulting piezometric hydrograph may almost be
continuous.

youtube videos related to Hydrology Project

2010-09-18T13:32:00.000+05:30

youtube videos related to Hydrology Project

Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project:-DRIP

2010-06-29T22:18:00.001+05:30

IBRD $175 million; IDA $175 million

[IBRD-the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development-low interest loan; IDA-the International Development Association-interest free]

India ranks third in the world after China and the United States in the number of dams. Of India’s 4050 completed large dams, almost half are more than 25 years old; another 475 are under construction. These dams have played a key role in fostering rapid and sustained agricultural and rural development. The project will help rehabilitate and modernize about 38 of these large dams.

source:

worldbank

Hydrology Project- Phase I and Phase II

2010-05-30T22:08:00.000+05:30

The first phase of the Hydrology Project ran from 1996 to 2003. Its objectives were to:

• Improve organisational arrangements for hydrological, hydrometeorological and water quality data measurements, validation, analysis and storage

• Strengthen institutional and technical capabilities

• Improve physical facilities and services for hydrological, hydrometeorological and water quality data measurement, validation and analysis, and

• Improve the use of hydrological, hydrometeorological and water quality data.

The project was jointly funded by the World Bank, the Government of the Netherlands (who provided Grant Aid to support consultancy services) and the Government of India. Participating agencies included nine states (Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu), and six central agencies (Ministry of Water Resources, Central Water Commission, Central Groundwater Board, National Institute of Hydrology, Central Water and Power Research Station, India Meteorological Department).

The second phase of the hydrology project was formulated in order to build on the achievements of the first phase, and extend the project into promotion and use of Hydrological Information System. The Project Appraisal Document of the World Bank (July 2004) describes the project formulation in detail.

For project implementation, the Project Implementation Plan prepared by the Ministry of Water Resources (May 2004) provides detail of activities to be undertaken by the various implementing agencies.

The second phase of the hydrology project provides for three components:

Institutional strengthening
Vertical extension, covering activities relating to consolidation of the work in the first phase of the project within the agencies that participated in the earlier project, and
Horizontal extension, covering expansion of the network of implementing agencies to include four new states (Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Pondicherry, Punjab) and two new central agencies (Central Pollution Control Board, Bhakra Beas Management Board)

A special report on water-The Economist

2010-05-27T22:29:00.000+05:30

A special report on water

Finite, vital, much wanted, little understood, water looks unmanageable. But it needn't be, argues John Grimond

Soon, system to measure real-time rainfall in dams

2010-04-24T23:52:00.000+05:30

All major dams in the state on the Krishna and Bhima rivers will now have advanced automatic rain gauge stations (ARGS) for real-time mapping and collection of rainfall data.

The ARGS is part of the real-time data acquisition system (RTDAS), being implemented by the hydrology project (HP) of the state government's water resources department. An HP official said, "The work started around six months ago and will be completed by next year. The works include installation of the system network and software to manage the system."

The initiative, he said, will help forecast floods and deal with flood situations during the heavy rainfall season. "It will facilitate reservoir operators to act on time and prepare stockholders for floods. The system's forte is to provide data at any given point, as against the current manual measurements, which happen only once or twice a day."

He said, "It is a research-based project and the World Bank has sanctioned Rs 30 crore for it. The project will be operationalised at all major dams, catchment areas and flood-prone regions in the Krishna and Bhima river basins."

According to the HP department, there are around 149 automated rainfall stations, 42 automated full climate stations, 29 auto weather stations of ISRO and IMD (existing), 46 reservoirs (dams) and 34 river gauge discharge sites in the Krishna and Bhima river basins. The RTDAS will be installed at a few places selected from these.

The RTDAS will help forecast real-time floods and manage reservoir operation system in the Krishna and Bhima river basins, which will in turn manage the floods and help operate reservoirs optimally for multiple uses, the official said. "The reservoir operation system will facilitate optimisation of water storage to ensure a flood cushion and improve agricultural productivity." The project also aims at developing a forecasting system for river flows and flood levels at critical points and identify potential flood-affected areas, he added.