Improving water management in North India

We developed a Real-Time Decision Support System (RTDSS) for the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in Northern India. Our RTDSS provides BBMB with the latest information available on the state of the water in its catchment and command area. This enables BBMB to improve flood management in the region, while also optimising operations to meet the region’s water needs.

The BBMB manages the operations of two reservoirs in the area – Bhakra and Beas in Northern India. For three states in the region – Punjab, Rajasthan, and Haryana – the monsoon (rainy) season can cause flooding in many areas. In addition, inefficient reservoir operations mean that the massive amount of water that could be collected during the rainy season is lost. As such, this area often struggles with a shortage of water during the dry season.

BBMB asked us to develop a solution that would help them address this multidimensional problem. Using MIKE 11 and MIKE BASIN, we developed a Real-Time Decision Support System (RTDSS).

Built on our MIKE CUSTOMISED Platform, our RTDSS uses:

• MIKE 11 NAM for rainfall-runoff analysis
• MIKE 11 HD to calculate travel time and to study downstream flooding
• MIKE BASIN for the water allocation, water accounting and reservoir simulation

Our RTDSS enables BBMB to improve flood management, leading to minimised loss of life and property for those living along the rivers. It can also help authorities optimise power generation, encouraging overall development in the region.