Probing into glaciers
The department of science and technology (DST) is seeking the cooperation of user agencies in north Indian states to generate information on glaciers and snow cover, to facilitate a better management of water resources. The Bhakra-Beas Management Board and the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board are expected to pool in their resources to install devices that will monitor the rate at which snow melts and the consequent water flow and sediment load. DST will coordinate these efforts and conduct research to refine the parameters for glacial studies.
DST officials point out that it is possible to anticipate the flow of water and regulate the reservoir level of dams, based on the rate at which snow from glaciers melts, and the consequent seasonal and diurnal flow of water to the reservoirs. The authorities of the Bhakra dam project have commissioned the National Remote Sensing Agency to predict the rate at which snow melts in the dam's catchment area, the source of 75 per cent of the water in the river.
Regarding the effect of melting glaciers on soil erosion, dam authorities in India are now collecting aggregated data on water flow and sediment load at the dam site. So far, they have been unable to identify the original source and to initiate steps to check the silting of the reservoirs.