Hydrological Modeling in India

Abstract

Human alteration of the natural environment continues nearly unabated in many parts of the world. This has resulted in exploitation of natural resources including water, over and above their limits of natural replenishment. Therefore, the International Association of Hydrologic Sciences (IAHS) has dedicated the decade 2013-2022 to explore the interactions between human society and hydrology. Due to its hydro-climatic and socio-economic diversity, India is a microcosm of the world where observations pertaining to physical hydrology as well as socio-hydrology can be made to develop generalizable insights. This has enabled a number of studies in the last few years advancing surface and groundwater modeling, process understanding, use of satellite-based or low-cost sensing for model development or improvement, inclusion of anthropogenic influences in hydrologic models, and uncertainty estimation methods. Further research in these directions is expected to continue to enable better decision making for management of water resources.