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1.
The Beginning: The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, which began in a humble way in 1916 as a Special Irrigation Division of the then Bombay Presidency, is today an institution of international standing. At its inception, the institution was located at Hadapsar, on the banks of Mutha Right Bank Canal that originated from the then Lake Fife, the reservoir formed by Khadakwasla dam. At
the turn of the century, the then Bombay Province was faced with diverse
problems of irrigation, ranging from the alluvial rivers in Sind in the
North to the black cotton soils in the Deccan Plateau overlying
disintegrated basalt. While attempting to transfer the north Indian
experience with irrigation canal systems to the Deccan plateau, major
difficulties were experienced due to the different crops grown in the
two areas, and the rainfall pattern that happened to be much different
in both the regions. The introduction of irrigation in the Deccan
plateau resulted in deterioration of the land quality in the served
areas mainly due to water logging and sodium efflorescence. The
institute took up the first hydrodynamic problem in 1919, when it was
recognised that the Deccan channels that carried varying discharges over
the year needed special-purpose outlet devices, different from those
used in north India where the irrigation canals remained at full supply
levels throughout the year. The
early experiments conducted with hydraulic models led to studies on
river and canal hydrodynamics, which by 1928 became the major activity
of the institution. Studies conducted at the institute, in the post
World War I period, for silt exclusion from canals at Sukkur barrage on
Indus river, and protection of bridges at Hardinge on Ganga and Kolaghat
on Rupnarain, proved the importance of a hydrodynamic research station
in comprehending the shifting tendency of alluvial rivers and
determining protection and training measures.
In the early years of formation only, the authorities at the institution recognised that basic research needed to be essential for successful research activities at the institution. By 1935, the research activities far outgrew the infrastructure available at the Hadapsar site. Substantial research works/ modelling studies were relocated to Khadakwasla, about 15 km to the southwest of the Poona city, where water was available, in adequate quantity, throughout the year for the hydraulic model studies. Initially, the hydraulic laboratory at Khadakwasla occupied an area of about 14 ha adjoining the Khadakwasla dam. 2.
Expansion: 2.1
Pre-Independence Era: The
Government of India (GoI), in consultation with the provincial
governments, established the Central Board of Irrigation in 1928 as a
coordinating body on technical and research matters. Hydraulic research
laboratories were set up in some provinces, and it was felt necessary to
have a central government institution for the whole of India where the
facilities could be upgraded to provide advice not only to the
irrigation departments but also to the Railway Board, Port Authorities
and other public agencies that may need advice in the field of
hydrodynamics. GoI decided to
locate the central research station at Poona; with a consequential
decision to rename the institution to Hydrodynamic Research Station
in 1928, and subsequently in 1937 to the Central Irrigation and
Hydrodynamic Research Station. In 1944, the name of the institute was changed to Indian
Waterways Experiment Station;
reflecting the shifts in the mandate of the institution to cater
to the changing research needs of the country in that era.
Subsequently, in February 1945, GoI set up the Central Waterways,
Irrigation and Navigation Commission, which recommended enlarging and
expanding of the Indian Waterways Experiment Station to enable it to
tackle varied technological issues/ problems related to multipurpose
river valley projects that were coming in larger numbers up at that
time. 2.2
Post-Independence Era: River valley development became the catchword for all-round development in the post independence years, with emphasis on maritime communications, establishment of new ports and improvement of existing ones and coastal protection. To reflect the renewed mandate and activities, the institution was renamed in 1947 as the Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Research Station. Moreover, under a reorganisation scheme implemented in May 1947, new laboratories such as River & Canal Hydraulics, Mathematics, Statistics, Soils & Soil Mechanics, Concrete & Materials of Construction, Physics and Chemistry were added. In 1949, to reflect the enhanced sphere of activities of the research station, the Government changed the name of the research station to the Central Water Power, Irrigation and Navigation Research Station; and subsequently in 1951 to the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), the name with which the institution is known today. The
growth and development of CWPRS has been inextricably linked with the
development of the nation in the areas of water and energy resources
development and water borne transport. After independence, a number of
irrigation and hydropower development works with increasingly higher
heads were taken up. There was urgent need to evolve designs of
hydraulic structures such as dams, spillways, gates and valves, and
hydraulic machines and equipment that are economical and cavitation-free.
The Cavitation Research Centre, with its modern multi-test water tunnel
at CWPRS, opened up a new vista in the field of hydraulic research in
India. CWPRS has achieved remarkable expertise in handling studies
concerning hydraulic and structural design of river valley projects. It
is pertinent to mention that studies, which had to be entrusted to
advanced foreign laboratories at the time of independence, are now being
tackled by CWPRS, including those referred by other countries. The
rapid expansion of international trade, particularly of bulk cargoes, in
the 1960's led to the development of a number of ports and harbours
throughout the country. It was only natural that CWPRS should be called
upon to lend its expertise in this field as well. Beginning with Hooghly,
Kandla and Cochin harbour models, the CWPRS has been closely associated
with the development of all the major ports in the country and
practically all the intermediate and fishing harbours. The institution
has made significant contributions to the development of the Singapore
Port through a 20-year contract, by conducting as many as 55 different
studies on a hydraulic model. The
steady industrialization of the country led to a power crisis in the
1970's, which required that the generation of power be increased. Though
India possesses large hydro potential, the country has not been possible
to tap all available resources owing to various reasons including
environmental concerns and long gestation period of hydropower projects.
This naturally led to emphasis being placed on thermal power, which in
turn called for intricate studies of thermal dispersion and
stratification for prevention of re-circulation of cooling water towards
the intake. CWPRS also provided total engineering back up to Central
Electricity Authority for the design of a tidal power station in the
Gulf of Kachchh through its multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of
hydraulic investigations for determining the tidal regime, closure
methods, geotechnical and geophysical aspects, site specific seismicity
and seismic design, liquefaction potential and environmental impact in
an integrated manner. One
of the consequences of industrial and economic advancement is an
increase in the levels of pollution in air, water and land. CWPRS has
been entrusted by several agencies with studies relating to dispersal of
pollutants, the dispersal of which follows the laws of hydrodynamics.
Further, complicated designs due to unusual site conditions, changes in
design concepts, necessity of integrating conduit systems of
neighbouring hydroelectric projects and the like resulted in the need to
build structural models and for solving such problems by adopting
3-dimensional photoelastic techniques. Proper assessment of stress
distribution under dynamic conditions is made feasible due to techniques
of mathematical modelling using finite element methods. As
a result of the concerted efforts made in the post-independence era for
exploitation of water resources for irrigation and hydropower needs,
convenient sites for dams and other hydraulic structures have already
been utilized. Greater innovation was therefore necessary in solving
problems posed by the more difficult sites. It was also necessary to
ascertain that the design of structures was adequate for stresses caused
by forces due to vibrations and earthquakes. Techniques were also
evolved to reinforce the existing structures against such stresses.
CWPRS hence entered into new fields of investigations such as
Hydrogeology, Tracer Hydrology, Vibration Technology, Earthquake
Engineering and Geophysics. With
the diversification of the activities of CWPRS, the provision of
instrumentation facilities for sophisticated measurements on models were
enhanced with UNDP aid. Great emphasis was placed on increasing the
precision, and developing real time data acquisition, analysis and
control systems to meet the requirement of measurement of a large number
of parameters concurrently at several locations in hydraulic models. With
the advent of digital computers, the mathematical modelling techniques
opened up new vistas in the field of hydraulic research. As larger and
faster computers became available, mathematical modelling promised to be
capable of resolving problems of increasingly greater complexity. With
the UNDP aid, a full-fledged centre was set up with state-of-the-art
computers and application software in the fields of river morphology,
waves and tides, environmental hydraulics, design and construction of
dams, tunnels, underground openings, etc. 2.3
Multidisciplinary Character: One
of the major objectives of the CWPRS has been to develop a
state-of-the-art technology centre to enable the solution of complex
water resources problems in the country. To this end, CWPRS has set up
laboratories in the following disciplines:
2.4
Mandate The
unwritten mandate of CWPRS that evolved in the early years to serve the
applied research requirements of the water resources sector in the
country, and to carry out such fundamental research as may be necessary
therefore, continued to be the natural goal of the institution until
1990, when a formal mandate of the institution was drafted by the
Governing Council. In addition to carrying out fundamental and applied
research and rendering consultancy advice in the area covering the
entire life cycle of water from its origin to joining the sea, CWPRS is
now called upon to widen its activities by disseminating the research
findings and building up of technical data base in water resources and
more importantly, organizing and assisting research activities in State
and other institutions concerned with water resources, and carrying out
training of research manpower. The
principal functions of CWPRS encompass:
The
institution is the recognised regional laboratory for the Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and Pacific since 1971. CWPRS has rendered
services for a number of projects from neighbouring, Middle East and
African countries. 2.3.1
Committees: Two
High Level Committees - one during 1976-77 under the chairmanship of Dr.
M.S. Swaminathan, Director General (ICAR) and the other during 1998-99 under Dr. S. Narasimhan, Professor Emeritus,
Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
- reviewed the working of CWPRS and made recommendations regarding its
development and management. Implementation of the recommendations of the
committees such as introduction of the flexible complementing scheme,
setting up of the Governing Council and bringing of the organisation
under the direct control of the Ministry of Water Resources led to
improving the effectiveness of the institution.
3.
Epilogue: CWPRS
has grown during the past nine decades to an institution of
international standing; and is one of the few institutions of its kind
in the world, dealing with the entire life cycle of water, from its
occurrence to joining the ocean and dealing with various uses of water
on the one hand and water-related disasters on the other. Water
management scenario of today is centred on sustainable development and
environmental issues, and this paradigm shift is reflected in the
present-day activities of CWPRS. CWPRS today is totally devoted to service
of the nation through research, which also happens to be the
motto of the institution.
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Organizational
History
