The Hindu Business Line : Water disputes

Inter-State problems relating to water sharing and other riparian issues have persisted over the last several decades, without any resolution. There may be a viable technological solution for this.

In the recent past, India has been crossing one milestone after another in the area of satellite launching, remote sensing and related technologies. Everyday several satellites scan the country's contours for various purposes.

It would certainly be possible to build a satellite that can scan the country's natural and man-made water reservoirs, including check dams.

Electronic pegs can be installed in and around the reservoir boundaries which can read the maximum and minimum levels in the summer-time and send signals to the satellite through the local transmission station.

The data collected using this system will provide us with information on the exact water quantity in storage. And the governments of the riparian States can work on their demands based on availability. When the government is able to spend Rs 2,000 crore for tsunami relief, it can surely spend a fraction of that to implement this. This will be a pioneering system that will make India the first nation to use such technology in water administration.

Ekambar Kodali

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