TRAINING COURSE ON WATERSHED HYDROLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

(DECEMBER 11 - 15, 2006)

To be organized by National Institute of Hydrology, Jal Vigyan Bhawan, Roorkee -
247 667, Uttaranchal, India

Introduction

Land is the major non-renewable and inelastic natural resource. Due to the
ever-increasing population, there is a lot of pressure on the land from the
agricultural, industrial and housing sectors. On the other hand, the land is
subjected to soil erosion and land degradation problem due to flood, wind and
faulty cultivation practices resulting in loss of topsoil. This leads to poor
yields, uneconomic returns, reservoir sedimentation and reduction in storage
capacity, reduction in ayacut area, shutdown of hydel power stations, ecological
imbalance, environmental pollution, droughts and floods. This demands prudent
management of natural resources specially conservation, management and
development of soil, water, attached plants and animals in a complex and dynamic
combination of factors like geology, hydrology, topography, soil, micro climate
and community of plants and animals which continuously interact under the
influence of climate. Ever since Independence, India's planners and policy
makers have shown concern for efficient use of land, water and other natural
resources for accelerated and sustainable development. However, notwithstanding
these concerns, the problems of land degradation and ground water depletion have
assumed serious proportions in many areas, which threaten not only the
sustainability of agriculture, but also the overall livelihood system of the
people. Various approaches have been advocated and experimented to halt the
process of degradation of these resources. Watershed approach, of late has been
considered appropriate to reduce the face of degradation and accelerate the
process of development and conservation of land, water and vegetations in an
integrated manner.

A watershed is an area from which all water drains to a common point, making it
an attractive hydrologic unit for technical efforts to manage water and soil
resources for production and conservation. Watershed management is defined as a
rational utilization of land and water resources for optimum and sustained
production with minimum hazards to natural resources. It essentially relates to
soil and water conservation which means proper land use, protecting lands
against all kinds of deterioration, building and maintaining soil fertility,
conserving water for farm use, proper management of water drainage, flood
protection, sediment reduction and increasing productivity. Planning for
watershed development and management requires a comprehensive approach and a
thorough knowledge of physical, social and economic ingredients of watershed
entity. Physical ingredients of a watershed include rainfall, topography,
texture and structure of soil, size, shape and cover of watershed, which are
responsible for generating runoff and sediment.

A large number of watershed management projects are being implemented by various
departments and agencies of central and state governments, universities, R & D
institutions, and the non-government organizations (NGOs) under various
Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Externally Aided Schemes, State Sponsored Schemes
and the schemes funded by other agencies. Keeping this in view, the National
Institute of Hydrology is organizing a five-day training workshop on 'Watershed
Hydrology and Management'. The training workshop is intended to focus on major
aspects associated with watershed hydrology and management e.g. hydrological
processes, surface and sub-surface hydrological aspects, remote sensing and GIS
applications in watershed planning, hydrological modeling and evolving suitable
soil & water conservation and management practices. The course will be useful
for watershed planners, managers and field engineers in evolving the watershed
management plans for judicious use of natural resources.

Course Contents

Broadly, following topics shall be covered in the training course:

* Watershed unit and watershed processes
* Watershed instrumentation and measurements
* Watershed soils
* Geo-hydrology of watersheds
* Application of remote sensing and GIS tools
* Estimation of runoff and soil loss from small watersheds
* Modeling runoff and sediment yield in a watershed
* Hydrological and erosion processes in a watershed
* Engineering measures for erosion control
* Agronomic measures in soil and water conservation
* Water conservation and harvesting
* Drought management in watersheds
* Experimental, bench mark and representative watersheds
* Forested watersheds
* Participatory approach in watershed management
* Watershed management plans
* Monitoring and evaluation of watershed management projects

The Course will consist of lectures by scientists of the Institute and invited
faculty. A number of tutorials and computer sessions on computation of runoff
and soil erosion, design of erosion control structures etc. will be held during
the workshop. A field trip will also be organized to a nearby watershed project
around Roorkee.

Participants

The course is intended for middle and senior level officers and field engineers
of Project Implementing Departments/ Agencies in the State Governments,
technical institutions, NGOs and other related departments. The number of
trainees is limited to 25 only. The registration shall be done on the first come
first served basis.

Venue

The venue of the course shall be National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee- 247
667, Uttaranchal, India.

Registration

The registration fee per participant shall be Rs. 7,000/-, which includes the
boarding and lodging arrangements on twin sharing basis in NIH guesthouse and
the course material. However, the participants will have to arrange for TA/DA
from their own organization.

The intending participants are requested to register themselves by filling and
mailing the attached registration form, latest by 20th October, 2006 along with
a demand draft in favour of the Finance Officer, NIH, Roorkee, payable at
Roorkee.

About Roorkee

Roorkee is a medium size town of Uttaranchal state and is the nerve of water
resource engineering education and research in India. The town is located 180 km
North-East of Delhi on Delhi-Hardwar and Delhi-Dehradun highway and may be
called the gateway of Uttaranchal. It is well connected by rail and road to many
important cities. Places of religious/ tourist interest like Hardwar, Rishikesh,
Tehri, Mussoorie, etc. are located nearby. During the month of December, weather
in Roorkee will be cold (minimum temperature about 4°C - 6°C). The participants
are advised to bring adequate woolen clothing with them.

National Institute of Hydrology (NIH)

NIH is a premier research Institute of India in the field of hydrology. It is an
autonomous society under the Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India. The
main objectives for which NIH has been established are: To undertake, aid,
promote and coordinate systematic and scientific work in all aspects of
hydrology; to cooperate and collaborate with other national, foreign and
international organizations in the field of hydrology, to establish and maintain
a research and reference library and equip the same with books, journal, and
other relevant publications.

The Institute with its six regional centres located at Belgaum, Guwahati, Jammu,
Patna, Kakinada and Sagar is well equipped to carry out computer, laboratory &
field oriented studies. The Institute at present has a team of 80 well-qualified
& trained scientists with excellent academic background. For details about NIH,
please visit www.nih.ernet.in.

All correspondence related to the course may be addressed to:

Shri J. V. Tyagi
Scientist E1 & Course Organizer
Agricultural Hydrology Division
National Institute of Hydrology
Roorkee - 247 667 (U.A.)

Phone: 01332- 272906-09 Extn. 232
Fax: 01332-272123
Email: tyagi@...

or

Dr. S.V.N. Rao
Scientist F & Course Coordinator
Agricultural Hydrology Division
National Institute of Hydrology
Roorkee - 247 667 (U.A.)

Phone: 01332- 276416
Fax: 01332-272123
Email: svnrao@...

Registration Form

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HYDROLOGY, ROORKEE

Training Course On Watershed Hydrology and Management
(December 11 - 15, 2006)

Name & Designation......................

Address:....................................

Tel. No./Fax:.............

Email:......... .............................

Qualifications:................................

Field of Specialisation:...............................

Experience:.................................................

Sponsoring Authority with complete address:..............



Demand Draft No.: ...... Dated:........ for Rs........is attached.


(Signature of
Candidate)


SPONSORSHIP CERTIFICATE

Certified that Mr./Ms./Dr............................. has been officially
deputed for the above-mentioned training course to be conducted by NIH Roorkee.


Signature of Sponsoring Authority with Office Seal and Date