IIT Bombay, Pune institute irrigation plan to cut 30% water use in drought-hit areas
"During our pilot study in Nashik, we included local weather forecasts in the soil moisture data and showed farmers that groundwater can be conserved by up to 30 percent. We initially predicted up to one week (short-range) ahead,' said Professor Subimal Ghosh of IIT Bombay.The system advises farmers whether to irrigate immediately or wait for predicted rainfall, preventing unnecessary watering.PILOT STUDY IN NASHIKSoil moisture sensors alone can mislead when unexpected rain arrives soon after irrigation.By feeding 1-3-week forecasts and soil capacity data into their eco-hydrological model, the team calculated crop-specific water requirements and soil water balance.The model accurately predicted irrigation scheduling, enabling grape farms to reduce water use by 10-30percent without compromising yield.SCALEUP TO BANKURABuilding on Nashik's success, the researchers applied their method to 12 sub-districts in Bankura, West Bengal, covering maize, wheat, sunflower, groundnut, and sugarcane.Using global soil maps, satellite and field data, and information from FAO, IMD, and IITM Pune, they incorporated root zone depth, soil texture, porosity, water-holding capacity, and stomatal response into the model.'Our computer model depicts the natural process by which plants draw water from the soil, their adaptation during water stress, and their response during a water balance after irrigation or rainfall,' Professor Ghosh explained.The simulations showed consistent 10-30percent water savings across all crops and locations.FUTURE DEPLOYMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURETo expand regionally, researchers plan village level discussions to install a few sensors and develop a real-time advisory system.They have also proposed a bio-manufacturing hub to train students and industry researchers on smart protein production and API design, and aim to support TRLs3-7 for prototype development.Funded by the West Bengal Environment Department, DSTSwarnajayanti Fellowship, SPLICE, Climate Change Programme, and Oracle CSR, this initiative demonstrates how weather forecasting, remote sensing, and simulation can revolutionise irrigation management and reduce groundwater dependency.- Ends
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The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Smart Irrigation Plan can save 10-30% of irrigation water in drought-prone regions: IIT Bombay research
The researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune (IITM Pune) have developed a Smart Irrigation Plan to save 10-30% of irrigation water in drought-prone regions, combining weather forecasts, satellite soil moisture data, and a computer simulation for efficient irrigation water management. Researchers from the Department of Civil Engineering and Centre for Climate Studies at the IIT Bombay and the IITM Pune formulated a method to predict the amount of irrigation water needed up to three weeks, on a district and sub-district scale. The researchers stated that the farmers in a drought-prone area require a plan for irrigation as rains are unpredictable, and they can't waste the diminishing groundwater. So, if farmers know beforehand how much water they will receive through rainfall in the coming weeks, they 'can plan their irrigation wisely', helping 'crop growth' and 'conserving groundwater'. The pilot study was conducted in Maharashtra's Nashik district, where researchers found that a few grape farmers used local soil moisture sensors. Thereafter, the study extended its methodology in 12 sub-districts of West Bengal's Bankura, a drought-prone district. 'During our pilot study in Nashik, we included local weather forecasts in the soil moisture data and showed farmers that groundwater can be conserved up to 30 %. We initially predicted up to one week (short-range) ahead,' shares Professor Subimal Ghosh, from IIT Bombay. Professor Ghosh explained that during the execution of methodology in Bankura, they considered crop varieties, varied growth patterns, root zone depth, and water requirements. According to researchers, they fed weather forecast and soil moisture data into a computer model that checks the possible amount of rain, the water capacity of the soil, and the water requirements of each crop. On the basis of these details, the system provides information on the crop's water requirement. If the model predicts no rainfall in the coming days, it will suggest irrigating crops now. In case of rainfall arrival predictions, avoid irrigation of crops. This approach prevents overwatering the crops and saves water. The researchers highlighted that they used global soil maps and integrated satellite and field data to include soil moisture data such as root zone depth, soil texture, porosity, water-holding capacity, water conductivity, and stomatal closure. The data on water consumption, monthly rainfall, root depth, and irrigation water requirement data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) resource was sourced from the IMD database and IITM Pune. 'Our computer model depicts the natural process by which plants draw water from the soil, their adaptation during a water stress, and their response during a water balance after irrigation or rainfall,' says Prof Ghosh, claiming the study methodology acts as a real-time advisor for water management. The study was funded by the Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal, DST-Swarnajayanti Fellowship Scheme, and others.
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
IIT Bombay, Pune institute irrigation plan to cut 30% water use in drought-hit areas
Farmers in drought-prone regions face the daily dilemma of when and how much to irrigate. Unpredictable rainfall and dwindling groundwater make efficient water management address this, researchers at IIT Bombay and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, have developed a smart irrigation plan that can cut water use in these areas and help farmers save 30% of the water without loss in crop irrigation plan integrates extended-range weather forecasts, satellite soil moisture data, and a computer simulation model to predict irrigation needs up to three weeks in advance. Earlier pilots in Nashik, Maharashtra, combined local soil moisture sensor readings with weather forecasts. "During our pilot study in Nashik, we included local weather forecasts in the soil moisture data and showed farmers that groundwater can be conserved by up to 30 percent. We initially predicted up to one week (short-range) ahead,' said Professor Subimal Ghosh of IIT system advises farmers whether to irrigate immediately or wait for predicted rainfall, preventing unnecessary STUDY IN NASHIKSoil moisture sensors alone can mislead when unexpected rain arrives soon after feeding 1-3-week forecasts and soil capacity data into their eco-hydrological model, the team calculated crop-specific water requirements and soil water model accurately predicted irrigation scheduling, enabling grape farms to reduce water use by 10-30percent without compromising TO BANKURABuilding on Nashik's success, the researchers applied their method to 12 sub-districts in Bankura, West Bengal, covering maize, wheat, sunflower, groundnut, and global soil maps, satellite and field data, and information from FAO, IMD, and IITM Pune, they incorporated root zone depth, soil texture, porosity, water-holding capacity, and stomatal response into the model.'Our computer model depicts the natural process by which plants draw water from the soil, their adaptation during water stress, and their response during a water balance after irrigation or rainfall,' Professor Ghosh simulations showed consistent 10-30percent water savings across all crops and DEPLOYMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURETo expand regionally, researchers plan village level discussions to install a few sensors and develop a real-time advisory have also proposed a bio-manufacturing hub to train students and industry researchers on smart protein production and API design, and aim to support TRLs3-7 for prototype by the West Bengal Environment Department, DSTSwarnajayanti Fellowship, SPLICE, Climate Change Programme, and Oracle CSR, this initiative demonstrates how weather forecasting, remote sensing, and simulation can revolutionise irrigation management and reduce groundwater dependency.- Ends
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
WiFEX: Ten winters and countless hours of fieldwork unravels India's winter fog
The Winter Fog Experiment (WiFEX), launched in 2015 at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi, has completed a milestone — ten years of dedicated research into North India's dense winter fog and its impact on daily life and aviation safety. 'The key aim as to generate high quality observational data and develop a reliable resolution fog prediction model. In the next phase, WiFEX-2 will be expanded to other major airports in North India,' Dr M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, GoI said on Tuesday. Dr Ravichandran along with other officials visited the WiFEX and System for Air Quality and Forecasting Research (SAFAR) control room at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) on Tuesday. On the occasion a state-of-the-art atmospheric chemistry laboratory as inaugurated and the website of an Early Career Researchers' Hub for Earth Sciences as also launched. Dr Ravichandran later spoke to media persons about ho accurate forecasts under WiFEX have provided significant operational benefits to airlines including reductions in flight diversions and cancellations. 'Based on this success WiFEX is no progressing to its next phase WiFEX- II and these capabilities ill be expanded to major airports in North India so the advanced instruments can better predict localised fog events at airport runways,' he said. Led by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), with support from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), WiFEX is one of the world's fe long-term open- field experiments focused solely on fog — an elusive winter hazard that regularly disrupts air, rail, and road transport across the Indo-Gangetic Plain. What began at IGIA — India's busiest and most fog-affected airport — has grown into a robust observational network now reaching Jewar Airport, Noida, and Hisar, Haryana, covering key aviation corridors across North India. Over the past decade, WiFEX scientists have deployed advanced instruments, micrometeorology towers, ceilometers, and high-frequency sensors to collect detailed data on temperature layers, humidity, wind, turbulence, soil heat, and aerosols — building an unmatched dataset that reveals ho dense fog forms and disperses. 'These insights have powered the development of a high-resolution (3 km) probabilistic fog prediction model, which no stands among the region's most advanced tools for operational forecasting. This model can reliably predict hen fog will begin, ho dense it will be, how long it will last, and when it will clear — achieving more than 85% accuracy for very dense fog (visibility below 200 metres),' Dr. Sachin Ghude, Project Director, WiFEX and SAFAR explained. WiFEX is stepping into its next phase — WiFEX-II — which will extend localised, runway-specific fog predictions to more airports in North India. By in stalling dedicated sensors at additional sites, airport operators will gain real-time data to help them activate response plans and ensure operations remain safe and efficient — even in the thickest fog. 'After ten winters and countless hours of fieldwork, WiFEX is shining example of hat sustained, focused re- search and collaboration can achieve. By connecting observations to models and models to real-world decisions, WiFEX proves that science can clear the path forward,'Dr Suryachandra Rao, Director , IITM added. 'By this November Wi-FEX-2 will be launched at Noida, Jaipur, Varanasi and plans are underway for introducing the systems at Guwahati,' Dr Ghude said. IITM scientists explained that for airlines, pilots, air traffic controllers, and passengers, this means fewer costly diversions, fewer delays, safer runways, and more informed travel during the challenging winter fog season. 'We also need to reduce false alarms and the WiFEX -2 will help us address this pertinent issue,' Dr Ghude added. Meanwhile, at forward locations, the Indian Armed Forces have expressed a need for similar fog prediction solutions, IITMexperts said. They pointed out that while sophisticated instruments are available at IGI Airport in New Delhi, the accuracy of predictions at the requested locations depends on the availability of local weather and cloud data. On the NISAR satellite Dr M Ravichandran, responding to queries on the NISAR satellite – jointly developed by NASA and ISRO and scheduled for launch soon said that they would wait for data. The NISAR satellite will examine water bodies, forest loss and so on. He also said that they were collaborating with ISRO to request the launch of a new satellite. —INSAT-3DS is a dedicated meteorological satellite launched by ISRO to enhance weather forecasting and disaster warning capabilities. According to the expert as part of their transition to the fourth-generation series, preparatory work is underway. 'On August 23, we will outline and prioritise our satellite data requirements for weather monitoring. Each sector will be formally informed about these priorities and their relevance,' he said. Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
