Climate change and its impact on water sector are the most critical global challenge in current century. It is likely to be more severe in developing countries whose economy is largely dependent on the agriculture and is already under stress due to population increase and associated demands for energy, fresh water and food. Climate change poses uncertainties to the supply and management of water resources. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted an increase of temperature about 2o to 4o C over the next 100 years. As a result, the various components of hydrologic cycle would be affected causing considerable changes in the precipitation characteristics, evapotranspiration, runoff patterns, snow & glacier melts, recharge to the ground water etc. Consequently, these changes can indirectly affect the flux and storage of water in surface and subsurface reservoirs (i.e., lakes, soil moisture, and groundwater). In addition, there may be other associated impacts, such as acceleration of floods & drought, seawater intrusion, water quality & environmental deterioration, potable water shortage, etc.
In order to minimize the adverse impacts of climate change on country's water resources and attaining its sustainable development and management, there are needs for developing the rational adaptation strategies and enhancing the capacity to adapt those strategies. It would provide the means for alleviating the negative impacts of climate change. The risk, reliability and uncertainty analysis are must before deciding the adaptation strategies. Keeping in view, the importance of impacts of climate change, it is necessary to identify the key issues and challenges, which the expected climate change will bring in water resources planning, design and management, provide the framework for adequate research, and formulate recommendations for the future work.
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| Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | National Institute of Hydrology Roorkee | |||
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee is the successor of University of Roorkee and thus it is the oldest technical institution of the country established as the Roorkee College of Engineering in 1847 and rechristened as Thomason College of Civil Engineering in 1857. It was elevated to the first Technical University of Independent India on November 25, 1949. In the year 2001, it was declared as the Institute of national importance and converted into Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) on September 21, 2001. |
National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) is a premier research and development organization in the area of hydrology and water resources in India. The Institute was established in 1978, as an autonomous society under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India, with its headquarters at Roorkee. The Institute undertakes, aides, promotes and coordinates systematic and scientific work in all aspects of hydrology. Six Regional Centres of the Institute are located in different physiographic regions of the country. The scientific and technical credibility of the Institute in conducting hydrological and water resources research is well recognized both at the national and international level. |
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