Research and studies on all aspects related to impact of climate change on water resources including quality aspects of water resources with active collaboration of all research organizations working in the area of climate change

Research and studies specifically for projection of impact of climate change on surface and ground water including its water quality in areas of 

  (i) Basin efficiency, 

  (ii) Possibilities of increasing dam heights, 

  (iii) Identification of minor tanks where Full Reservoir (FRL) can be raised without raising dam heights by installing gates and evaluation of the same,

  (iv) Identification of tanks and water bodies which can be effectively de-silted, where silt has commercial value and evaluation of the same, 

  (v) Improving intra-national equity in usable water for drought management like conducting economics considering land, water and livelihood to 

       plan how much water is necessary to yield reasonable income, 

  (vi) Water harvesting provided this is socially desirable and corresponding water saving is possible elsewhere in the region, 

  (vii) Impact on Intensity-Duration-Frequency relationships in urban areas, 

  (viii) Impact on Magnitude-Duration-Frequency of drought (agricultural,meteorological and hydrological), 

  (ix) Study of Water-Energy-Climate Change relationships, 

  (x) Planning tidal embankments to protect against tides and increased flood frequency and increased sea level,

  (xi) Effect of sea level rise on ground water salinity and prospective measures like groundwater recharge, 

  (xii) Possible tidal channels for fresh water storage,

  (xiii) Preparation of sediment budgets and accounts for each basin, 

  (xiv) Review the interpretation of regime maintenance on Ganga, after climate change, 

  (xv) Isotope applications in Ground Water (GW) dating and contaminant transport, 

  (xvi) Ground Water basin models for conjunctive use of Surface Water & Ground Water and application of Remote sensing / Geographic Information System

 in Ground Water management, 

  (xvii) Assessment and strategies for development potential of deeper aquifers, 

  (xviii) Coastal aquifer management including use of hydraulic barriers for control of sea water ingress, 

  (xix) Assessment of feasibility and viability of rainwater harvesting in existing domestic and commercial buildings, 

  (xx) Supporting researchable issues, 

  (xxi) Atmospheric Science Groups towards downscaling of Global Climate Model or Regional Climate Modeling to basin/project level and also understanding the effect of climate change on monsoons, 

  (xxii) Supporting water and climate related researches towards studying the sensitivity of different hydrologic types of water projects to different climate change scenarios and improvements required in hydrometric networks to incorporate climate change, 

  (xxiii) Building a Universal Soil Loss model depicting erosion, sediment transport etc. and proving the model based on sediment flow and reservoir sedimentation data. Actuating the above model for changed rainfall regime and changed management practices,

  (xxiv) Developing, through Research and Development, a combined unsteady flow hydraulics-cum-sediment transport model capable of depicting river erosion in each flood event. Using the model to test river management works, 

  (xxv) Water quality modeling for each major river and aquifer, 

  (xxvi) Hydro chemical and solute transport modeling in areas vulnerable for sea water ingress and water quality,  

  (xxvii) Developing urban storm water drainage models with due consideration to the topographical features and the urban layouts, and 

  (xxviii) Developing criteria and guidelines to ensure urban storm water drainage improvements.

 Strategy 1.5 - "Study & Research”

            India is faced with the challenge of sustaining its rapid economic growth while dealing with the global threat of climate change. Relatively very large temporal and spatial variation in rainfall and consequently in the river flow and ground water aquifers is an important feature of the water resources in India. The impact of climate change on water resources has not been accurately quantified. However,  studies indicate that the likely impact of climate change on water resources could contribute to intensification of the extreme events.

            Since the processes which influence the hydrological cycle are dynamic in nature, precise quantification of the impact may not be a simple task. Therefore, it would be necessary to undertake detailed simulation studies and research to generate more data for refinement of simulations. With a view to assess the likely impact of climate change on Indian river basins / sub-basins, Indian National Committee on Climate Change (INCCC) has been constituted. INCCC is undertaking studies in all river basins of India in collaboration with research institutes and IITs. In addition, studies on statistical and dynamic downscaling are being undertaken to generate appropriate data for use in simulation and assessment studies.

            Project proposals for conducting studies in the following eight river basins have been received, which are under active consideration in INCCC and are at advance stage of implementation / instituting the studies.

Following two project proposals have been received for conducting downscaling studies – statistical downscaling and dynamic downscaling of global climate change models. These proposals are under active consideration in INCCC and are at advance stage of implementation / instituting the studies.