GUWAHATI:
The North Eastern Hydraulic & Allied Research Institute (NEHARI), an arm of Brahmaputra Board organised a three-day training workshop on – “Scientific Data Collection and Processing Techniques for Springshed Management and Rejuvenation” in association with National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) from September 6 to 8.
The training workshop was inaugurated on September 6 by Dr SV Vijaya Kumar, Scientist ‘G’ & Head – North East Regional Centre, NIH, Guwahati and SC Kapil, Regional Director, CGWB, NER, Guwahati.
In their inaugural address, Dr SV Vijaya Kumar and SC Kapil stressed the need for springshed management in the north-eastern states while discussing the efforts of NIH and CGWB towards addressing the issues of diminishing springs across the Indian Himalayas.
The course of the programme is tailored for junior to mid-level officers of government departments related to the water resources sector serving in the Northeast.
This training workshop was designed to inculcate knowledge on Springshed Management to help in better conservation and rejuvenation of spring water. 28 government officials serving in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have participated in the training workshop.
A total of fifteen lectures, including four field lectures, were delivered by the scientists of NIH and CGWB on various topics pertaining to springshed management.
Dr SS Rawat, Scientist ‘E’, NIH, Roorkee, stressed the need of a comprehensive inventory of springs for the Indian Himalayan States. The importance of geological investigation in the identification of the recharge area of the springs was elaborated by Biplab Ray, Scientist ‘E’, CGWB, Guwahati.
Shasinlo Kent and Mophi Mili scientists from CGWB also delivered a lecture on the genesis of spring in the context of northeastern states.
In a field trip to nearby spring systems at Nongpoh, Meghalaya the participants were provided hands-on training for data collection and in-situ water quality testing by Dr DS Bisht (Scientist, NIH) and Dr K Radhapyari (Scientist, CGWB). The participants were also exposed to spring typology and various interventions that can be made to augment spring recharge during the field visit by Dr SS Rawat (Scientist, NIH) and Biplab Ray (Scientist, CGWB). Ranjit Deka (Director, NEHARI) also demonstrated various lab facilities available in NEHARI to the participants being utilized for flood management in the Brahmaputra River basin.