| Sanction Date: | 29.03.2025 | |||
| Project Category | MG | |||
| Year | 2024-2025 | |||
| Project Duration | 3 Years | |||
| BTA : | WRM | |||
| Project Site/ State/ Districts/ Villages Covered: |
Tista River, Sikkim and Nayar River, Uttarakhand |
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| Organization/ Implementation Agency: | GBPNIHE, Sikkim Regional Centre | |||
| Project Partners: | S.No. | Name | ||
| 1. | IIT Guwahati | |||
| 2. | ICAR-DCFR | |||
| 3. | State Pollution Control Board | |||
| 4. | Department of Forest | |||
| 5. | NHPC | |||
| 6. | HNBGU | |||
| Lead Proponent: | Dr. S. Tarafdar |
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| Project Brief Description: | Rain, snow and groundwater act as freshwater resources essential for sustaining ecosystems and human wellbeing. However, climate warming and future predicted accelerated warming is bringing in cascades of effects from the headwater’s regions of the mountainous basins to the mountain-supported lowlands. The climate induced warming has impacted the rain and snow fall patterns and thereby the reserves of groundwater. All over the world climate change is causing widespread impacts on biodiversity, with rising temperatures being of particular concern due to the pervasive effects of temperature on many species including cold water fishes. Lack of continuous monitoring stations across the major basins in Indian Himalaya limits our assessment in terms of understanding of the magnitude of the problem from a local to regional perspective. The formulation of coping mechanism without understanding the underlying processes in the complex high relief region of IHR will have serious consequences. The advanced technologies in mapping and sensor-based monitoring like LiDAR bathymetry survey, drone-based imaging as well as sensor equipped under water robotics (UROV) are promising tools for model development and prediction of future concern for a more holistic river ecosystem management in the remote, sloping and ecological enriched landscape of Himalaya. Cost effective co-paired Air-Water temperature sensor-based observation can be successfully used to decipher the vulnerability of the river stretches as well as locate the most suitable habitats which will be less impacted by the warming climate as the deeper groundwater sustains the riverine ecosystems. Parallel comprehensive assessment of fish diversity, habitat ecology, thermal sensitivity of key fish as well as interlinking with changing hydrology (which falls in broad disciple of Ecohydrology) are essential to safeguard the vulnerable and fragile ecosystems under variable threat. River temperature model is an essential tool to decipher the drivers regulating the river water temperature under the impact of storage-based hydropower as well as the onging changes due to warming climate. The series of changes over the past many decades in the complex mountain scapes have caused modifications in the timing with earlier snow-melt runoff, rise in the summer low-flows as well as other impacts caused due to deficient rain and snow, precipitation with increase in ratio of rain as compared to snow, change in the rainfall characteristics, and rise in extreme events bringing changes in the mountain hydrology and threatening the terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity and their habitats. Snow-dependent high-altitude regions as well as groundwater-dependent riverine ecosystems are key ecological habitats and fragile, although poorly understood and underrated in Indian Himalaya. The human induced alteration such as the hydropower (HP) and the associated infrastructure in Tista basin is poorly evaluated in terms of the cumulative impacts of series of hydropower and its impact on river temperature vis-à -vis its impact on river ecology. A demand driven interdisciplinary project is designed to seek some of the answers to the ongoing cascades of changes in the river systems. | |||
| Beneficiaries/ Stakeholders: |
Hydro power developers, river basin management authorities, state water resources department, Forest Department and other ecology and bio-diversity conservation departments are the key beneficiaries of the present project |
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| Activity Chart | ||||
| Total Grants (in Rs.) | Rs. 28,407,359/- (Rupees Two Crore Eighty-Four Lakh Seven Thousand Three Hundred Fifty-Nine Only) | |||
| Project Objectives | Quantifiable Deliverables | Monitoring Indicators |
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• To establish a monitoring network of air-water temperature sensor in groundwater-fed (Nayar/W.Nayar R.) and snow-glacial-fed (Tista R.) river system of Western and Eastern Himalaya • To Investigate the seasonal variability in groundwater contribution as well as snow-glacial melt contribution to river under the snow and groundwater dominated regime, • To develop air-water temperature model and assess the processes regulating the thermal sensitivity of river under the warming climate. • To assess of ichthyofaunal diversity, and habitat ecology in Nayar and Tista Rivers of Uttarakhand and Sikkim respectively to elucidate the threat status of fishes. • To investigate the thermal sensitivity traits of key fish species of Nayar and Tista rivers to understand their vulnerability to climate change. • To Design, develop and do rigorous testing of an open frame based underwater remotely operated vehicle (UROV) equipped with various sensors for bathymetry survey, hydrological parameters and key water quality monitoring in the Himalayan River systems. • To Demonstrate advance technique of mapping (LiDAR and drone-based imaging) and reach scale river temperature model development for river ecosystem assessment in western and eastern Himalaya. |
• Monitoring sensor network for air-water temperature monitoring in Nayar and Tista Rivers. • Data collection platform for continuous temperature data. • Seasonal variation data on groundwater and snow glacial melt contributions. • Analysis report on seasonal variability of groundwater and snow-glacial contributions to river flow. • Air-water temperature model • Assessment report on the thermal sensitivity of rivers under changing conditions. • Ichthyofaunal diversity and habitat ecology report for Nayar and Tista Rivers. • Study report on thermal sensitivity traits of key fish species. • Complete design and development of the open frame UROV. • Testing results and performance analysis of the UROV. |
• Number of monitoring stations established. • Number of fish species surveyed. • Fish threat status categorization. • Thermal tolerance data and vulnerability analysis • Completion of UROV development and testing. • Number of successful surveys conducted using UROV • Number of stakeholders engaged. • No. of Reports/Research articles/Policy documents prepared and published (Nos.) |
| S.No. | Name (Sanctioned) | Salary (Sanctioned) |
| 1. | Research Associate I | @ Rs.58,000/- + 16% HRA |
| 2. | 02 SRF | @ Rs.42,000/- + 9% HRA |
| 3. | 02 JRF | @ Rs.37,000/- + 9% HRA |
| 4. | 03 SPF | @ Rs.28,000/- + 9% HRA |
| 5. | 03 JPF | @ Rs.24,000/- + 9% HRA |
| 6. | 04 Field Assistant | @ Rs.16,000/- |
| S.No. | Name of Equipment (Sanctioned) | Cost (in INR) |
| 1. | 07 Automatic Water Level, Conductivity and temperature Sensors (Vented pressure transducer based) with data logger/ Non-vented (water-level recorder with Baro logger and data logger with accessories), 02 Weather Stations (Wind, Airtemp and RH, Precipitation gauge, rain gauge, pressure)-02, Net radiation (02 sensors) and installation @10 Lac/- per Weather Station), Minor equipment 01 each like multipara meter, DO meter, water level indicator, Satellite data @25000/-, 01 Thin & light Laptop (intel i15-1235U) @50000/-, 01 DSLR Mirrorless Camera @50000/-, 01 Academic license software for coupled Surface and Ground water Model @4 Lac/-, Computing Facility/ Data and Software Purchase/ Sensor @10 Lac, Ground Control Station UROV @19.5 Lac, 01 Thermostatic aquaria/bath @5 Lac, 01 Dissolved oxygen measuring apparatus @3 Lac, 01 Camera with 24 MP full frame CMOS Sensor @1 Lac, 01 Electro fisher @7 Lac. | 92,22,929/- |
