In the absence of an effective river/dam water management system, a huge volume of rainwater received during monsoon goes waste and flows to the sea. Floods followed by severe drought are not new to the country.
A Thrissur-based research student in disaster management has come up with an idea of l sensors to find out the volume and velocity of water flowing to dams and river during rain. It can accurately calculate the amount of water to be discharged from dams in case of an emergency.
“Whenever the catchment areas of dams receive good rain, dams get filled and authorities are forced to open shutters. There is no accurate scientific system to estimate the time taken for the dam to fill and how much water should be released. As a result, precious water, which can be used for electricity production and irrigation/drinking water distribution is wasted. The situation is common across the country,” notes Shibu George, an employee at the District Emergency Operation Centre.
For example, if there is heavy rain in the catchment areas of the Peringalkuthu dam, shutters will be opened to release water to the Chalakudy river. Heavy rain along with discharge of water from the dam will increase the water level in the river. The increasing water level in the river causes concern for the people residing along 72-km stretch from Peringalkuthu to Kodungalloor.
“Using sensors on the water flow line of the Sholayar dam and Parambikulam dam to the Peringalkuthu dam, the speed and volume of water reaching the dams will be calculated. Thus we can calculate the time taken for the dam to fill,” Mr. George says.
Similarly, sensors can be placed on the flowline of the river and at the point where the river joins the sea to calculate the water level in the river.
“The data collected using RF/GSM modules can be sent to the control room at the district Collectorate. A software can compare the pre-estimated water flow ratio according to the geographical features of various segments of the waterbodies with the volume, velocity and rain data from the sensors. It can estimate the amount of water that will reach the dams/rivers. With the help of such data, it is possible to find out how long it will take for the dams to fill and the corresponding water level in the rivers.”
It can calculate the volume of water that should be discharged from the dams. This will also help the authorities to make necessary precautionary measures, including evacuation in emergency situations, he says.
The situation is similar across the country. The Ganga flows from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The most densely populated areas of Varanasi, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kanpur and Kolkata are on the banks of the Ganges. The same system can be used there too with minor modifications as an early warning system.
This system also has a lot of practical potential in Cauvery, the third largest river in south India, where there are about 101 dams in densely populated areas such as Mysuru, Trichy, Thanjavur, he adds.
