NHP e-Bulletin

Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti (MOJS), Government of India is striving hard towards Sustainable Development and Management of Water Resources. In this endeavour, MOJS is implementing a number of schemes with active participation of the states under which National Hydrology Project (NHP) is one of the such important scheme. It is a Central Sector Scheme with support from World Bank, being implemented on Pan India basis (50 Implementing Agencies - 39 from State and 11 from Central). As part of its Capacity Building component, NHP seeks to build capacity of the State and Central sector organisations in water resources management through international level knowledge exchange, solutions exchange and networking. In this regard, a series of annual Conferences with the theme Sustainable Water Management are planned under NHP.

In this series, 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Water Management was organised during November 6-8, 2019 at Pune, Maharashtra. The event was organised in association with Water Resources Department, Government of Maharashtra. The event was attended by more than 600 International and National delegates. International Experts from Australia, U.S., U.K., Netherlands, Canada, South Korea, European Union, Germany, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Nepal have participated in this Conference apart from Experts from the World Bank and International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage. The event was supported by Australian Water Partnership (AWP).

The Conference was inaugurated by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. The inaugural session was also attended by Smt. Vandana Chavan, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha; Shri U.P. Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti; Shri R. K. Jain, Chairman, Central Water Commission; Shri I.S. Chahal, Principal Secretary, Water Resources Department, Government of Maharashtra; Mr. Tony Huber, Counsel General, Australian Consulate Mumbai and host of other dignitaries from Central & State Organisations on 6th November 2019. During the inauguration, mobile app for data entry of the water resources under India-WRIS was also launched.

Apart from Plenary Session, there were Twelve technical sessions in which experts presented latest development in related field and shared their experiences. In addition, one dedicated session on best practices in water conservation was also organised in which various Government organisations and NGOs working in the field of conservation of water resources have participated. During the Industry Session, delegates got enlightened about new products and technologies in the field of modelling, equipment, application of data and modelling to create useful water resource information. A Poster Competition was also organised in which Research Scholars/ students from number of prestigious institutions participated for encouraging research and use of state of art technologies in the field of water resources development and management. An exhibition was also held for two days to showcase the latest equipment, technologies and capabilities & progress by number of national & international vendors & consultants, Partner organisations etc. Field visit was arranged for the participants of the Conference on 8th November, 2019 – Visit to Hiware Bazaar & Tata Power Station.

The conference has provided an excellent platform to exchange ideas & good practices, create and strengthen partnerships, learn & discuss about new developments/ aspects in the field of sustainable water management. The valedictory session was held on 7th November 2019, which was graced by Sh. Rattan Lal Kataria, Hon’ble Minister for State, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. The major recommendations Conference are: River basin approach, Ensuring balance between economic development and ecology, Comprehensive Water Resource Information Systems, Free data sharing and dissemination, Cross-learning for sustainable development, promoting traditional water management techniques, need for legal and regulatory framework for waste water & its re-use, Integrated reservoir operation, need for comprehensive sediment management policy, refinement in estimation of Ground Water resource, need to adopt appropriate strategies to deal with climate change etc.

Hon'ble Minister of Jal Shakti, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched India-WRIS Mobile App, Kukadi Irrigation Rotation App, e-Module of learning of Hydro-met system and Training Resources Book for Jaldoots during the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Water Management.

Launch of INDIA-WRIS App:

A mobile app for data entry of the water resources across the country has been developed under NHP for India-WRIS. During the 2nd International Conference, the INDIA-WRIS Data Entry App was launched by Shri. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. It is now available at Google Play Store for Android. Hon'ble Minister also launched Kukadi Irrigation Rotation App, e-Module of learning of Hydro-met system and Training Resources Book for Jaldoots In this occation.

Participation in the National Symposium on Innovations in Geospatial Technology for Sustainable Development with special Emphasis on NER

National Symposium on Innovations in Geospatial Technology for Sustainable Development with special Emphasis on NER, was organized during 20-22 November, 2019 at Shillong, Meghalaya. A Special Session on Jal Shakti –Sustainable water resources management in India, was part of the Symposium & included in the plenary session on 22nd November. Co-chairing the session Dr. K J Anand kumar, from NPMU presented on NHP –Paradigm shift in Water Resources Management. Dr. VV Rao, Director NRSC chaired the Session and made a presentation on Space technology in harnessing water resources potential in India. Presentations were also made by NMCG and NWIC highlighting the activities of Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Workshop on Construction of Multi-purpose Rain Water Harvesting Reservoir

A workshop on “Construction of Multi-purpose Rain Water Harvesting Reservoir” was held in the conference hall of office of the Chief Engineer, PWD (WR), Govt. of Tripura, Kunjaban, Agartala on 26th November 2019. The Workshop was mainly conducted for the field engineers who are working on MI Storage structures in different parts of the state. Chief Engineer, Addl. Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineers of the Department conducted the Workshop. Initially PWD (WR) was lacking knowledge. A recent visit by the team from Gujarat to Tripura and sharing their knowledge and experience on earthen dam construction proved to be very helpful for PWD (WR) to overcome its initial knowledge gap in this regard. With the gathered knowledge from the visiting team, Department took the initiative to share the same within the departmental staff. PWD (WR) is also keen about conducting more such cross-learning program in near future in consultation with NPMU.

Training on RS &GIS with special emphasis on Hydrologic Modelling

A training on RS and GIS with special emphasis on hydrologic modelling focusing on NE States was organized during 11th to 15th November, 2019 at Aizawl, Mizoram jointly by Irrigation and Water Resources Department, Mizoram and NIH Roorkee. Four Scientists from NIH, Roorkee conducted the training. A total of 29 Officials from Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland attended this training. The participants were oriented on basics of RS and GIS and provided hands on training on two hydrologic models -HEC-HMS & SWAT, delineation of watershed, calculation of area, slope, flow direction and flow accumulation, (ArcSWAT) etc. At the end of the training most of the trainees could successfully run the models.

Training program on Creation of DEM (Digital Elevation Model)

A four-day training program on “Creation of DEM (Digital Elevation Model)” was conducted from 19th November to 22nd November 2019 for IAs under NHP at National Geospatial Data Centre, Survey of India, Hathibarkala, Dehradun. Total 13 No. of Participants from 06 IAs participated in the training. A mix of theoretical and practical modules were followed in this training. In practical sessions participants created DEM from SoI contour data beside demonstration were given on UAV, DEM by UAV/LiDAR and GPS, Total Station & other Surveying instruments. A visit to Survey Museum at G&RB, SOI, Dehradun was also organized for the participants. Valedictory function was organized on the last day and certificates were distributed to Participants.

Training programme on Groundwater Exploration, Development & Monitoring Techniques

Groundwater is one of the major sources of water in the plains and foothills in NE region. In area of high altitude, springs, natural exposure of groundwater are the major source of water to meet all kind of needs. The changes in land use pattern in springsheds and impact of climate change leads to reduced yield of springs. Groundwater is the alternate water source and need to be explored, developed and monitored. With this background, a three-days training programme on Groundwater Exploration, Development & Monitoring Techniques was organised at I&WRD, Aizawl, Mizoram from 26th to 28th November 2019. The training has provided participants overall knowledge on the groundwater and create an interest for further learning. Officials from Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram have actively participated in this training.

Two-days capacity building training program on Hydromet & Real Time Monitoring Network – Equipment & Its Installation

Under National Hydrology Project, CWPRS is entrusted with the responsibility of conducting training courses for Central and State Implementing Agencies (IAs) on various topics related to Hydromet-Water Quality Instruments along with Data Logger and Telemetry system and to provide technical support through guidance in selection of technical specifications of various instruments, testing, maintenance, troubleshooting. In this connection CWPRS had approached various states and WRD Gujarat responded and showed keen interest for conducting the training course for their field Engineers. Two days Capacity Building Training Program was organized during 26-27 November, 2019 at WRD, Gujarat on Hydromet & Real Time Monitoring Network – Equipment & Its Installation for 26 Officers of the rank AAE, AE, DEE, SO nominated by WRD, Gujarat from Narmada Water Resources, Water Supply & Kalpasar Department. The purpose of this training course was to make the participants to understand the basic concepts of Hydromet Instruments, their working and installation. Theory sessions, Demonstration and field visits were planned on Overview of NHP and DSS, Basic Meteorology & Conventional Meteorological Instruments, Automatic Weather Station–Site Selection & Commissioning, Surface Water Level–Sensors and Measurement, Data Collection Platform – Installation & Commissioning, Telemetry for RTDAS to have better knowledge of the subject. Shri S.D. Ranade, Scientist ‘E’, Dr. N.D. Atkekar, Scientist ‘D’, Dr. Annapurna Patra, Scientist ‘B’ and Smt R.S. Erande, Scientist ‘B’ were the faculties from CWPRS. Demonstration of working SEBA-Azista equipments to be installed at various sites was arranged. Similarly, Surface Water Level equipment were demonstrated at Sardar Sarovar Dam during field visit.

Training course on Field & Laboratory testing: Soil Mechanics, Rock mechanics & Concrete Technology

From 18 to 22 Nov’2019 a Training course on “Field & Laboratory testing: Soil Mechanics, Rock mechanics & Concrete technology” was organized in CSMRS, New Delhi for engineers from WRD, Rajasthan. Total 17 participants, responsible for material testing attended the training course. The participants got both hands on and on field opportunity to test rock mechanics, geosynthetics, concrete mix design, non-destructive testing, soil testing etc.

One-Day Hands-on Training on WIMS (eSWIS) under NHP at New Delhi

Two Hands-on Trainings of one-day each on WIMS (eSWIS) were conducted on 14th & 26th November, 2019 at NPMU office in New Delhi. These two trainings were attended by 29 participants from 11 agencies. Participants were trained on various modules, tools and features for Surface and Ground Water data management and analysis like Station Management, Data View-Telemetry, Ground Water Management, Manual Data Entry , Data Validation, User Management, Telemetry Management(Sensor Hub Configuration), Import Tool & Reports and other relevant data analysis features available on India-WRIS platform. It is planned to train participants from all the agencies in a phased manner.

Survey of India

SoI successfully awarded two important contracts for creation of 0.5m and 3-5m DEM. The contract for “Provision of services for Acquisition, Processing, and Delivery of DEM and Digital Ortho Image” has been signed with L-1 vendors on 5th June, 2019 for Zone 2,4,6 and on 14th June 2019 for zone 1,3,5 respectively. After signing of the contract, flying for LiDAR data acquisition has been started.

The other contract for “Providing services for the generation of GIS-ready database for river basins/deltas covering area of approximately 835742 sq km using sub-meter ortho rectifies satellite imagery (HRSI)” has been signed with L-1 vendor on dated 4th July 2019 for all the 8 zones. After signing of the contract, Production Centre has been established and production has been started at IIS&M, Survey of India campus, Hyderabad.

Punjab

Under the National Hydrology Project (NHP) installation of rooftop Solar Power plant was approved in Project Implementation Plan. Tender for “Designing, Supply, Installation and Commissioning of 75 KW Solar Power System at Water Resources Bhawan, Sector-68, Mohali including warranty and O&M for 5 years as per specifications complete in all respects” was floated on 18.02.2019 and the work has been allotted to M/s Oakridge Energy Pvt. Ltd. Estimated cost for this work was 37,28,725/- (Rs. Thirty Seven Lakh Twenty Eight Thousand and Seven Hundred Twenty Five only) and the allotted contract price is Rs. 33,37,500/- (Rs. Thirty Three Lakh Thirty Seven Thousand and Five Hundred Only). The plant which would run at a Capacity Utilisation factor (CUF) of 16% would generate an expected 105120 KWh (units) per annum which would result in a saving of approximately Rs 10 Lakh per annum. This is first of its kind green initiative under NHP.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan has marked the month of November with exposure visit to fields and procurement of different items under NHP. Bid amounting to INR 145 lakh has been floated for establishment of State Water Resources Informatics Centre at Jaipur. Floating of Bid & opening of financial proposal were done for renovation/furnishing of Material testing lab at Jaipur. Financial bid is opened for the bid “Hiring of service for scanning, digitization of historical data, maps & reports” in this month. Bid amounting to INR 503 lakh has been floated for “Hiring of services of Experts and Staff for State project monitoring unit,”. Apart from these two Exposure visit of Bhakra-Nangal-Pong dam have been organized for the officials during 13-15 Nov & 18-20 Nov with 19 & 20 no of participants respectively.

Telanagana

Telangana is partnering with NIH for their proposed Purpose Driven Studies. Recently in November, a pre study technical discussions with the field staffs of TSGWD on the proposed study areas was held on 23.11.2019 at Ground Water Department, Hyderabad, Telangana. The Dindi Command area in Krishna river basin, Nalgonda district and Chepur Basin of Godavari river basin, Nizamabad district have been proposed as study areas and it is approved by NIH. The “Principal Investigator” of these studies would be NIH, Belagavi and Telangana GWD will be the Partner Organization with Director, GWD as Principal Investigator and the DGWOs of the study areas i.e., Nalgonda and Nizamabad as Co-Principal Investigator. The objective of the studies is to simulate the hydrogeological conditions of the ground water flow system for sustainable management of ground water resource and to study the long-term changes in water level/water quality by understanding aquifer geometry in the study areas proposed in Krishna and Godavari river basins. A power point presentation on the proposed study in Dindi Command in Krishna basin and Chepur Basin, Nalgonda district in Godavari basin of Nizamabad district was presented and the objective of the study, roles and responsibilities of the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator were explained, and also report on the proposal has been discussed and shared with field unit, advised to collect pre project data and generate scenarios.

As a part of improvement to existing network of Groundwater monitoring stations in Telangana State, it is planned to procure Digital Water Level Recorders (DWLRs) (hydrostatic pressure type) with telemetry in existing piezometers. Accordingly, bids were invited through NIC e-procurement system under National Competitive Bidding (NCB).

In the month of November a pre-bid meeting was held in the Conference Hall of O/o. Director, GWD, Hyderabad. The officers from GWD, Telangana and representatives from five firms have participated in the pre-bid meeting in which Deputy Director (NHP) along with other officers of Department clarified the queries raised by representatives of the firms. The installation may be done within 180 days after signing of contract.

NPMU visiting IAs for smooth Implementation of the Project

On a regular basis a number of field visits are being undertaken by NPMU and TAMC members to handhold the Implementing Agencies for smooth implementation of the Project. In the month of November, a three member team from NPMU led by Mr. Rakesh Kashyap SJC along with Mr Amit Sethi, Procurement Expert and Mr. Rakesh Bhat, SCADA Expert From TAMC visited the Ground Water Cell, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare , Haryana, the proposed new IA (Haryana GW) and Irrigation and Water Resources Department (Haryana SW). All activities which are being taken up by the Haryana (Surface Water) were individually discussed in this meeting. Various bottlenecks being faced by the Haryana (SW) in executing their current Project Implementation Plan were deliberated upon and the possible solutions were discussed. The discussions held with Haryana SW resulted in expeditious evaluation of their RTDAS and SCADA bid and firming of further course of action for proposed SCADA of JLN system and works for improvement in existing training centre. The team also visited Water Resources Department, Punjab for discussing the issues pertaining to implementation of NHP activities. The opportunity was well explored by the visiting team to clarify concern of the IA in terms of difference between State Procurement Rules and the World bank Procurement procedures. A no. of technical and implementation related issues were discussed with Punjab followed by inspection of the ongoing work of installation of roof top solar system which is first such initiative under NHP. The work is expected to be completed shortly.

Some Important modifications have been incorporated in NHP’s management information system in November. Based on the on the online information provided by the implementing agencies, ranking of Central and State agencies have been implemented.

The Procurement summary report with data drill down feature have been implemented based on MIS data. Rebid of tenders and physical progress tracking system were introduced during the month. The existing Finance Module has been modified to accommodate new features and facility of generation of new kind of reports as per the requirement of Finance team.