Water meet focuses on inflow forecasting during extremes

New Delhi, Aug 28 (UNI) A two-day National Symposium on Hydrology focusing on 'Inflow Forecasting during Extremes' began here today even as the country grapples with ways to tackle the marooned areas of Bihar from the ravages of the Kosi river.

The symposium is jointly organised by National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Central Water Commission (CWC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, under the sponsorship of the Indian National Committee on Hydrology (INCOH).

The symposium would discuss ways of improving knowledge on inflow forecasting. Other related areas of hydrology and water resources development and management would also be addressed. New techniques and methods of planning, development and management of water resources and the gaps between the developed advanced technologies and their field applications will be deliberated on.

Inaugurating the meet, Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman A K Bajaj said water is a renewable but limited source for the mankind and there was a need to ensure its availability keeping in mind the needs of future generations. This was a challenge to water resources policy makers, planners, scientists and engineers for concurrent maintenance of the water resources, environment and eco-system as well as catering to the increased demands of water.

He said one of the important technical inputs in this endeavour is assessment of inflows during extremes. The information was required for planning, development and management of water resources and related schemes.

The operation of water resources systems during the floods as well as during the low flow seasons is an important and challenging issue. Accurate forecasting of inflows results in judicious management of water availability, optimal operation of reservoirs and improved hydropower generation. Therefore, it becomes crucial to develop suitable inflow forecasting models for optimal water resources planning, development and management under hydrological extremes like floods and droughts, he added.

Models, amongst various tools and technologies, are being used to forecast inflows in order to improve reservoir system operations for water resources management activities. With more powerful and modern computing systems and tools, the GIS and remote sensing techniques, radar and satellite imaging, hydrological models enable the water resources managers to move beyond the conventional techniques of inflow forecasting. The future scenario calls for more concerted efforts and focused research and its implementation on specific thrust areas.

Eminent delegates are presenting their pioneering and commendable research and development work in the area of hydrology and water resources in general and on inflow forecasting during extremes, in particular. Recommendations of this National Symposium would provide comprehensive guidelines for judicious planning, development and management of the water resources of our country, sources in the Ministry of Water Resources said.

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