Research Projects

This study aims to study the concept of the creation of a freshwater reservoir to augment the water demands for sustainable water management (for Mangalore for both drinking water and agriculture purposes). According to the Census of India, the population of Mangalore in 2011, Mangalore city has a population of 488,968; its urban/metropolitan population is 623,841. The major industrial establishments are Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals (MRPL), ONGC, OMPL, KIOCL, Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF), New Mangalore Port Trust, International Airport, BASF, etc. Apart from this, hundreds of medium and small-scale industries are there in Mangalore. In river Nethravati itself, brackish/saltwater in summer enters the river almost up to 20 to 25 km from the place it joins the ocean. Due to this ingression, groundwater wells and surface water ponds are also getting affected by seawater. The present water supply is being made through the Nethravathi River. During the summer months (February to May), there is an acute shortage of fresh water as the rivers Nethravathi and Gurpur go almost salty in the lower reaches (due to saltwater ingression) and dry in the upper reaches. Therefore, the idea is to store fresh water in a reservoir along the coast by building a barrage/sea dike near the outlet of the Nethravathi and Gurpur rivers or on the Arabian Sea coast. On one side, it will block the required quantity of fresh water flowing from the Nethravathi river to the reservoir (created by a sea dyke) from not being drained to the sea. On the other side, the sea dike will prevent seawater from entering the lake, avoiding the salt contamination of the freshwater supply. But, the natural flow of water will be maintained in the river. This study specifically aims to address some key issues of coastal urban watershed management of Mangalore city and agricultural land along the river and the coast in the context of the project of building a sea dike for the creation of a freshwater reservoir and impounding river floodwaters in coastal reservoirs.

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1.Detailed assessment of existing and future water demands (Domestic, industrial, Irrigation) to estimate the amount of surplus freshwater that can be drawn from the reservoir proposed project, to the needs of Mangalore city region and surrounding regions. 2. Estimation of runoff at Nethravathi river and basin outlets along the coastal lines of Arabian Sea (using Distributed and Semi-hydrological models). 3. Model studies to understand the dynamics of seawater intrusion into the coastal reservoir and also coastal dynamics due to sea dike construction along the coast. 4. Assessment of existing Land use land cover (LULC) along the coastal lines of Nethravathi estuary.

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Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemical Pvt Ltd, Mangaluru; Neel Water Systems Pvt Ltd, Mumbai; New Mangalore Port trust, Karnataka