1st Edition

India’s Waters Advances in Development and Management

By Mahesh Chandra Chaturvedi Copyright 2012
    240 Pages 42 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    240 Pages 42 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    India’s Waters: Advances in Development and Management is a critical study of the development and management of India’s waters. Its central theme is that the current methods in use are an extension of the colonial-era system, which, despite vast growth, has remained essentially the same in terms of developmental concepts, technological activities, and performance. A revolution on several fronts is possible, and this book details the author’s own plans for these advancements.

    First the book briefly addresses both the physiographic and hydrologic characteristics of India and its waters, and the current official proposals for their development. Next, the author presents new concepts and policies for development of India’s waters, followed by his proposed technological revolution. The author illustrates how India’s aforementioned unique characteristics enable use of some novel technologies that are unique globally. This fact is key to his proposed revolution, which asserts that water availability can be more than doubled. Even more importantly, water can be placed in the hands of the farmer. On the subject of hydroelectric development, the author explores a novel technology of interspatial intertemporal pumped storage development that would increase both hydroelectric potential and peaking power almost five times over.

    On a related note, the book explains advances in water resource developmental planning in terms of a new societal environmental systems management that far surpasses the much vaunted integrated water resources development. The author also talks about the challenges of climate change, demonstrating how his revolutionary technological proposals could be applied to deal with this serious issue.

    Introduction
    Notes

    Environmental Characteristics
    Introduction
    Geographical Characteristics
    India—Geological History
    Physiography
    Drainage System
    Climate
    Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Characteristics
    Floods and Droughts
    Groundwater
    River Basins
    Water Resources
    Climate Change
    Note

    Development and Management of India’s Waters—Overview
    Historical Perspective
    British Period
    Development after Independence

    Futures Challenges and Proposed Responses
    Introduction
    NCIWRDP 1999—Findings and Recommendations
    NCIWRDP 1999—A Review
    Estimate of Utilizable Water Resources and Demand—Water Balance
    Water Requirement
    Review of the Official Demand Estimates and Proposed Modifications
    Interlinking of India’s Rivers
    Review of Proposal of Interlinking of Rivers
    Second India Studies—Water
    India Water Partnership Study
    World Bank Study
    Review of the World Bank and Other So-Called Expert Studies
    Reflections on Governance
    Integrated Water Resources Management
    Recent Modification by GOI of Water Demand Estimates
    Overview of Current Official and Other Studies
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Revolutionizing Development of India’s Waters—New Concepts, Policies, and Technologies
    Introduction
    Study of Current Policy and Management
    Perspective of Development
    Challenges
    Future Perspective
    Some Conceptual Revolutions about Management of Water
    Some Unique Indian Environment Characteristic Features
    Proposed Creative Approach and Some Novel Technologies and Advances
    Estimate of Water Availability Revolution
    Further Advances in Water Management
    Environmental Systems Management
    Modernization of Socioeconomic System
    Policy Planning—Societal Environmental Systems Management
    Challenge of Climate Change
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Revolutionizing the Development of India’s Waters
    Introduction
    Development of Indus Basin
    Development of GBM Basin
    Revolutionizing Developmental Strategy of GBM Basin
    Development of Himalayan Region
    Development of Alluvial Plains
    Development of Vindhyan Region
    Development of Brahmaputra–Meghna Region
    Development of Delta Region
    International Interaction in GBM Basin Current Scene—Nepal and India
    International Interaction in GBM Basin Current Scene—India and Bangladesh
    GBM Conflict Resolution
    Scientific Development of GBM
    Development of Peninsular Region
    Climate Change
    River Basin and National Water Planning
    Further Advances—Sustainable Development and Water
    Conclusion
    Notes

    Some Perspectives and Institutional and Cultural Revolution
    Introduction
    Current Scene of Water Management in India
    Challenge of Management of Water
    Paradox
    Background of Water Management in India
    Institutional Revolution
    Transformation
    Involvement of Foreign Agencies
    Notes
    Conclusion
    References

    Appendix 1
    Estimate of Water Demand by NCIWRDP 1999
    Water Requirement for Irrigation
    Water Demand for Domestic Use
    Water Requirement for Industries
    Water Requirement for Power Development
    Water Requirement for Inland Navigation Development
    Water Required for Environment and Ecology
    Water Requirement to Compensate Evaporation Losses fromReservoirs
    Total Water Requirement
    Basin and State Water Requirement
    Return Flows
    Water Balance
    Conclusion

    Appendix 2
    Political Economy of Water
    Conclusion
    Notes
    Index

    Biography

    Professor Chaturvedi is a globally recognized pioneer of water resources engineering in India, along with collaborations he has led in the U.S., Sweden, the former Soviet Union, Italy and the United Kingdom.He is a unique combination of a professional engineer and an academician. He has designed and has been on the Board of Consultants of several major projects in India. He is the founder of the Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and Applied Mechanics at IIT Delhi, where he was the Dean (Research) later. On retirement from IIT Delhi in 1985, he joined the Planning Commission, Government of India until leaving for the U.S. to join the University of Texas, Austin in 1989. Dr.Chaturvedi has published three books.He is currently working in the area of sustainability science as an independent scholar, guiding research at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and engaged in writing three books on the subject spending about a year and half at Harvard University recently.Dr.Chaturvedi is a founding member and Fellow of the IWRA and a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. He has been identified as Distinguished Alumni of his Alma Mater, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.Professor Chaturvedi and his wife, Professor Vipula Chaturvedi, established the Vipula and Mahesh Chaturvedi Foundation, providing support for projects that advance science and the human condition.