Water is one of the most precious resources on earth, being essential for sustaining life, the development and research of water resources are of paramount importance. Reservoirs are instrumental in utilising water for activities such as irrigation and hydropower along with protection from extreme events like droughts and floods. Despite the large implications of reservoir storage for flood protection, irrigation and hydropower, India lacks a real-time reservoir monitoring system. Hence, the requirement to develop a system which can monitor reservoir storage and provide forecasts for floods (7-15 days) and droughts (1-3 months) emerged. Having a clear objective, we studied storage variability in major reservoirs and developed a satellite-based near real time monitoring system for several large reservoirs in India. Monitoring the sluice gates of the reservoirs is extremely important for the smooth functioning of reservoir operations which require the forecasted streamflow to the reservoirs for short and long periods. Using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model (excluding the influence of reservoirs in the model), we were able to forecast the inflow to reservoirs for up to 30 days with high efficiency in case of five major river basins in India. This project helped, especially, for flood protection, irrigation, domestic and industrial supplies, and hydropower generation. Further, we developed a model to forecast the hydrologic variables (runoff, soil moisture and streamflow) in the Narmada basin for 1-3 days, focusing majorly for flood events. Here, we incorporated the reservoirs in the VIC model as well. Apart from this, we have developed a model to forecast reservoir storage for 1-3 months in 91 major reservoirs of India in order to overcome the water stress in the dry period. As a collaborative project with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), we developed the Experimental Forecast Land Surface Hydrology portal. One of our novel projects is providing a forecast of precipitation, temperature, runoff, and soil moisture forecast data on a daily basis which has been developed for the very first time in India. Our work aims to aid the administration in establishing policies for the stakeholders and farmers.

The idea of a PhD sounds extremely academic and rigorous but a PhD at IIT, Gandhinagar is quite different. During my B.Tech from NIT Raipur, I didn’t get much of a chance to explore a life beyond academics but after joining IIT Gandhinagar in July 2015, I developed as much as a human being as I did as a researcher. In this incredibly diverse and hospitable campus, it did not take me long to realise the opportunity I was bestowed upon. Being a PhD student, the first thing I learnt was that I needed to evolve in a holistic manner. The institute with its progressive and yet morally strong environment made me grow as a human being. The class representative elections in the very beginning took away my fear of interacting with people and enhanced my social skills. Badminton, another inseparable part of my life today, was introduced to me at this place and I feel honoured to have represented the institute at various competitions. The beautiful campus, approachable professors, deans and director make IIT Gandhinagar different than other colleges. The option to work flexible hours as the labs are kept open at all hours, the very carefully developed academic structure which focuses on the overall development of student rather than just imparting technical knowledge makes IIT, Gandhinagar an ideal educational institute. The aura of the college is such that it encourages an individual to interact with fellow students and bond with them. I came in contact with plenty of people and that made me motivated for research as well as extracurriculars such as sports, student leadership, cultural and technical activities on campus. The Discipline of Civil Engineering at IIT Gandhinagar is one of a kind group. The whole discipline works and stays together as a family and supports each other in times of need. The professors, fellow students and the administration have been immensely supportive, not just in my academic journey but also at times when I faced difficulties in my personal life. As a student who lives away from their family, I can say that the discipline of Civil Engineering has been nothing less than my family here at college. Prof. Ajanta Sachan has been very supportive since the beginning. Prof. Vimal Mishra has been extraordinary in their support to us as students, his guidance and motivation for research made me excel in research and academics. Being a proud member of the IIT, Gandhinagar community, I feel this college is one of the best institutes in this country and as it is still in its growing phase it learns from us as much as we learn from it and that is the very definition of an ideal educator-student relation.