National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) is a premier Research and Development organization under the ministry of Jal Shakti Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India. It was established as an autonomous society in 1978 with its headquarters at Roorkee. The main objectives of NIH are to undertake, aid, promote and coordinate systematic and scientific work in all aspects of hydrology. The Institute was declared as an S&T organization in 1987.
Some key strengths of the Institute are:
- With its headquarters at Roorkee and Regional Centers at Jammu, Patna, Guwahati, Bhopal, Belgavi and Kakinada, Jodhpur NIH has a national presence and perspective.
- NIH has nearly 70 scientists with a wide array of expertize, covering almost all the topics in the domain of hydrology.
- With large and vibrant groups of scientists, supported by scientific and project staff, and close links with field and academic community, NIH is taking up challenging tasks in water sector and serving the nation.
Some of the major achievements of the Institute since its establishment include:
- Our research findings are published in the form of reports and research papers in reputed international and national journals, international and national seminars and conferences.
- Publications brought out by the Institute in the form of technical reports, brochures, leaflets, state-of-art reports etc. are widely circulated to various user agencies in India as well as abroad, enriching hydrologic literature and knowledge.
- The Institute has completed a number of consultancy and sponsored research projects to solve real-life problems.
- The Institute has developed software for hydrological analysis and design which are being used to solve various practical problems.
- NIH has established Water Quality, Remote Sensing & GIS, Nuclear Hydrology, and Soil & Water Laboratories with state-of-art equipment and software.
- Under technology transfer programme, the Institute has organized a large number of short-duration training courses all over the country on different topics in the domain of hydrology and water resources. The participants to these course come from Central and State government organization, academic and R&D institutes, private sector, and NGOs.
- NIH has also organized number of International and National seminars and conferences.
- A number of the scientists of the Institute have received awards for publishing their research works in the reputed journals and for their significant contributions in different areas of hydrology and water resources.
- Under the mass awareness programme, the Institute has organized a number of activities for women and students. Campaigns for water conservation and management have been launched through electronic and print media.
- The Institute has completed a number of international collaborative projects with funding from international organizations. These include: two UNDP funded projects, WAMTARA, European Community funded SHE Model project, USAID funded Paleoflood studies, World Bank Aided Hydrology Project-I and II, etc. NIH has closely worked with Unesco, IAEA Vienna, Center for Ecology and Hydrology, UK, etc.
- Under the currently on-going National Hydrology Project, NIH is the lead agency for Training and Capacity building, Purpose Driven Studies (PDSs) for R&D and is setting up a Center for Excellence in Hydrologic Modeling.
- The Institute is providing secretariat to the Indian National Committee on Climate Change (INCCC), an R&D program of MoWR.
- NIH scientists have many contributions to the works of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
- The Institute is providing Secretariat to the Indian Association of Hydrologists.
Through its strategic plan, NIH has acquired a leadership role in the area of hydrology. The basic and result-oriented research and development programs are integrated and executed using very innovative, dynamic and focused team of scientists. The future prospects of NIH are tremendous. We are establishing collaborations with National and International Organizations and Institutes. NIH is growing in an era of unparalleled scientific and technological advancement.
NIH is looking forward to closely work with all sister organizations under the Ministry of Jal Shakti Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, academic and R&D institutes in India and abroad, and International Organizations to address current and emerging problems in sustainable water resources management.
Dr. MK Goel
Director
National Institute of Hydrology
Roorkee