Pune: Hydro Hackathon Highlights Innovations in Water Resource Management

Khadakwasla, 21st December 2024: The 29th International Water Conference was recently held at the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Khadakwasla which was inaugurated by Hon. Minister, Shri C R Patil, Ministry of Jal Shakti through video message.It was organised by CWPRS in association with the Indian Society for Hydraulics (ISH).

In this three-day conference, lectures were organized on various topics related to hydrology, water resources, river engineering and coastal management. Nearly 350 research papers were presented at the conference, which focused on advancing innovative and environmentally friendly solutions to meet the Sustainable Development Goals in the face of challenges posed by climate change.

Keynote by Experts-

Lectures by experts from India and abroad were organized in the conference. These include “Future-proofing of run-of-river hydropower projects through efficient sediment management systems” by J Chandrashekhar Iyer, former chairman of the Central Water Commission, “Soil moisture dynamics in heterogeneous agricultural soils” by Dr Richa Ojha, head of the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT, Kanpur, “Deep Learning using Transformers for Multivariate Applications in Hydrology” by Professor Rao S. Govindaraju, Purdue University, USA. Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering. “Disinformative Data in Hydrology : Issues, Challenges and Resolutions” by Dr. Ramesh Tigavarapu, Professor of Civil, Environmental and Geomatics Engineering at Florida Atlantic University, USA and “Efficacy of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for Hydro-morphological Risk Reduction in Large River Catchment” by Professor Vinay Chembolu, IIT Jammu.

‘Hydro Hackathon’-

In the 29th Hydro Conference, the ‘Hydro Hackathon’ was organized by The International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research in collaboration with the Indian Society for Hydraulics (ISH). It brought together researchers as well as young professionals on a platform to discuss in depth issues and solutions for the future scenario with experts in the field of water resources. The exhibition held at the Hydro Conference showcased products and their potential that provide a glimpse into the future of cutting-edge technology in hydrology. More than 480 scholars participated in the conference.