India

Alpha 3
IND

Related Content

Article

Pénuries d'Eau en Milieu Urbain : Comment les Données de la Mission GRACE-FO de la NASA Peuvent-Elles Soutenir la Gestion de l'Eau en Temps Quasi-Réel ?

Plus la population augmente, plus la demande en eau augmente, notamment l'eau nécessaire aux usages domestiques, industriels et municipaux (Mogelgaard 2011). L'Inde en est un bon exemple : le 20 juin 2019, la ville de Chennai a failli manquer d'eau. Des images satellites ont montré l'ampleur de la pénurie d'eau dans la ville (schéma 1). Alors que les habitants faisaient la queue pour de l'eau stockée dans des camions-citernes qui la rendaient disponible dans la ville, le véritable défi de gestion concernait les bâtiments municipaux et les entreprises de la ville. La pénurie d´eau a gravement affecté la capacité des hôpitaux à soigner les patients et à nettoyer les équipements, et a contraint les entreprises à fermer leurs portes jusqu'à la fin de la crise.

Relation of extreme precipitation with temperature: How do open-access global gridded datasets work in a hydrometeorological study?

Analysts have long noted that extreme precipitation appears to intensify with temperature at a rate of around 7%/°C, which is governed by the Clausius-Clapeyron (CC) equation. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the spatio-temporal properties of hourly precipitation and daily dew point temperature. Specifically, the global gridded products of bias-corrected Climate Prediction Center morphing technique (CMORPH-CRT) and ERA5 reanalysis were applied for nine locations in the world. The results show that significant spatial heterogeneity in extreme precipitation scaling is present at the selected locations, which might be attributed to local conditions, such as regional climate and the proximity to humidity sources. Despite the potential limitations, this study provides insight into the application of high-resolution open-access global gridded products in analysing precipitation scaling.

Urban Water Scarcity: How data from NASA’s GRACE-FO Mission can be used for (near) real time water management

As population becomes larger the demand for water soars, including water needed for domestic, industrial and municipal uses (Mogelgaard 2011). One example of that, is India, where on 20 June 2019 the city of Chennai almost run out of water. Satellite images show the extent of the water shortage in the city (figure 1). While people are queuing up to get water from water trucks that transfer water to the city, the greatest struggle is taking place in the city’s municipal buildings and businesses. Hospitals are facing the threat of not having enough water to treat patients and to clean equipment, and businesses are forced to shut down and wait until the crisis is over.

Space-based technology for aerosol monitoring and its role in the hydrological cycle

Extreme weather events, such as sudden downpours or prolonged droughts, disrupt economies, ecosystems, and communities. These events are closely linked to aerosols—tiny atmospheric particles that influence the hydrological cycle by altering cloud properties and precipitation. Understanding the interactions between aerosols, clouds, and the hydrological cycle is essential for managing climate variability.

Escasez urbana de agua: cómo pueden utilizarse los datos de la misión GRACE-FO de la NASA para la gestión del agua (casi) en tiempo real

As population becomes larger the demand for water soars, including water needed for domestic, industrial and municipal uses (Mogelgaard 2011). One example of that, is India, where on 20 June 2019 the city of Chennai almost run out of water. Satellite images show the extent of the water shortage in the city (figure 1). While people are queuing up to get water from water trucks that transfer water to the city, the greatest struggle is taking place in the city’s municipal buildings and businesses. Hospitals are facing the threat of not having enough water to treat patients and to clean equipment, and businesses are forced to shut down and wait until the crisis is over.

Hydro-diplomacy: The role of space-derived data in advancing water security

Water scarcity is one of the greatest threats faced by humanity of our time – in 2019, more than two billion people experience high water stress (UN-Water 2019) and approximately four billion people suffer from severe water scarcity for at least one month per year (Mekonnen and Hoekstra 2016). This worsening problem increases the risk of international conflict over water resources breaking out, given that there are over 270 transboundary river basins, and three-quarters of UN Member States share at least one river or lake basin with a neighbour (UN News 2017).

Interview with Farid Farhat, Hydrological Modeling Specialist at UNICITI

Could you describe how your professional and/or personal experience relate to water? Where does your interest in space technology for water come from? 

I have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of hydrologic and hydraulic engineering, which is relevant to water. I studied many courses in my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees where I learned how runoff in a watershed is generated from meteorological parameters including rainfall, evapotranspiration and infiltration. I also applied my theoretical knowledge to various projects.

Interview with Farid Farhat, Hydrological Modeling Specialist at UNICITI

Could you describe how your professional and/or personal experience relate to water? Where does your interest in space technology for water come from? 

I have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of hydrologic and hydraulic engineering, which is relevant to water. I studied many courses in my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees where I learned how runoff in a watershed is generated from meteorological parameters including rainfall, evapotranspiration and infiltration. I also applied my theoretical knowledge to various projects.

Local Perspectives Case Studies

Hydrometeorological disasters in the Indian Himalayas

Flash flood in Uttarakhand, India
Hydrometeorological disasters (HMDs) in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) area have led to multiple water-related issues that resulted from extreme rainfall, glacial melt, and changing river flows, all of which are made worse by climate change and land use changes. Accurate warnings of these disasters are difficult due to sparse gauging and rugged topography in the Garhwal Himalaya region, which increases the likelihood of disasters during the monsoon. The same region experiences water shortage and drought especially during non-monsoon periods. The use of wide coverage remote sensing data from the study region as well as from neighboring countries with access to space-based data can play a significant role in the monitoring and analysing of these challenges. This study applies spatiotemporal clustering and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) to map high-risk zones, which will allow policymakers to reinforce infrastructure providing disaster resilience. There is a need for a solution that uses multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) and spatiotemporal clustering to map areas in Uttarakhand, Himalaya, that are prone to disasters with the help of satellite-based data. To determine which tehsils (smaller administrative units) are vulnerable, it is suggested to examine more than 150 years of recorded disaster data with location and fatalities. Further vulnerable regions can be mapped using high-resolution satellite data (procured through Sentinel, Landsat, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM)) and analysed in the QGIS platform. This solution could use spatiotemporal clustering and MCDM to map high-risk zones, which will allow policymakers to reinforce infrastructure providing disaster resilience. Data of the Garhwal Himalayan region (India), which lies in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region are needed. The topography of the HKH region is almost the same over eight countries, and all bear similar kinds of disasters and climate patterns. The Garhwal region occupies about 64 per cent of the area of the Uttarakhand state and is also the origin of the river Ganga.

Groundwater resource management using artificial intelligence and remote sensing technologies

Groundwater index maps for Bihar
Groundwater is a critical resource for drinking water, agriculture, and industry. With increasing anthropogenic activities and exponentially increasing population, groundwater in India is facing several challenges, related to quality as well as quantity, due to over-extraction, pollution, and climate change. Over-exploitation of groundwater may impact the availability and quality of groundwater which is not sustainable. Moreover, due to pollution in surface water, groundwater quality is also affected. In most of the cities of India, the quality of groundwater is below standard. Remote sensing and artificial intelligence can play a very vital role in monitoring the quantity as well as quality of groundwater. As, it is clear that presently no remote sensors can directly be used for groundwater observations, but by using surface features anomalies and gravity data obtained by various satellites, optimal groundwater management can be done using remote sensing. Space4water is one of the best communities addressing water related issues and work towards sustainable solutions. For the last three years, I am following this community, and I find that the community consists of scientists, NGO, policy makers etc. This combination has the potential to resolve issues related to any challenges related to social issues. I am looking for few global research partners who work for groundwater management using space technology. I am equally looking for data driven resource persons who can collaborate with me on real field conditions of various countries, related to groundwater management. What has been done so far is listed below: • Worked on GRACE satellite data and used it in field condition to study groundwater anomalies of few cities of India. • Developed spatio-temporal maps of Standardized Groundwater Index (SGI). • Worked on water quality of water bodies. • Used various satellite data to map water spread areas of various water bodies. • Worked on machine learning models to study in situ remediation of contaminated groundwater.

Map

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. They solely serve navigation purposes on this page. Please also note that the map does not filter items if the search term filter is used.

Click on any of the highlighted countries to retrieve further information.

Stakeholder

Stimson Center

The Energy, Water, & Sustainability Program at the Stimson Center addresses important and timely policy issues and technical opportunities concerning energy, water, and sustainable development in the Global South from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Our work on transboundary river basins identifies pathways towards enhancing water security and optimizing tradeoffs between water, energy, and sustainable development options in the Mekong, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Indus, Aral Sea and Euphrates-Tigris river basins.

Bahrain Space Agency

The Bahrain Space Agency (BSA) seeks to establish a sound infrastructure for the observation of outer space and the earth, make Bahrain a leader in space science and technology, build a culture and methodology of scientific research within the kingdom and encourage technical innovation, among other goals. BSA is interested in satellites to obtain data, to use them for remote sensing and to conduct advanced space research, so it can be the engine for the state in the use of the latest satellite communication technologies.

BSA’s main projects are as follows:

Global Water Partnership

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) is a global action network with over 3,000 Partner organisations in 179 countries. The network has 69 accredited Country Water Partnerships and 13 Regional Water Partnerships.

The network is open to all organisations involved in water resources management: developed and developing country government institutions, agencies of the United Nations, bi- and multi-lateral development banks, professional associations, research institutions, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector.

University of Birmingham: Resilient Systems and Climate Action Group

The University of Birmingham, a leading global research university in the United Kingdom, is renowned for its multidisciplinary expertise in addressing complex global challenges. With a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation, the University conducts pioneering research in water resources, climate resilience, and satellite technology applications.

International Water Management Institute

IWMI is a research-for-development (R4D) organization, with offices in 13 countries and a global network of scientists operating in more than 30 countries. For over three decades, our research results have led to changes in water management that have contributed to social and economic development. IWMI’s Vision reflected in its Strategy 2019-2023, is ‘a water-secure world’.

University of Stirling

The University of Stirling was founded by Royal Charter in 1967 as the first genuinely new university in Scotland for over 400 years and embraces its role as an innovative, intellectual and cultural institution. A research-led university with an international reputation for high-quality research directly relevant to society’s needs, Stirling aims to be at the forefront of research and learning that helps to improve lives. The University works closely with its stakeholders in policy, practice and industry to facilitate this and enhance the relevance and impact of its research.

University of Surrey

The University of Surrey is a leading research and higher education institution in the United Kingdom, known for its strengths in space technology and water research, among other fields.

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an independent, international research institute with National Member Organizations in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Through its research programs and initiatives, the institute conducts policy-oriented research into issues that are too large or complex to be solved by a single country or academic discipline. This includes pressing concerns that affect the future of all of humanity, such as climate change, energy security, population aging, and sustainable development.

Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology Pantnagar

G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, also known as Pantnagar University, is the first agricultural university in India. The University lies in the campus town of Pantnagar in Kichha Tehseel and in the district of Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand. The university is regarded as the harbinger of the Green Revolution in India. Pantnagar University is regarded as a significant force in the development and transfer of High Yielding Variety of seeds and related technology.

National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is a comprehensive one with high priority for research and evidence-based decision making and has a special place for use of new technology including Geospatial technology. NMCG Authority order of Oct’ 2016 states that the pollution in River Ganga and its tributaries shall be monitored by the use of satellite imagery and other remote sensing technologies.

Tribhuvan University, Institute of Forestry, Pokhara

The Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus (IOF-PC), Quality Assurance Accreditation (QAA) certified institution by the UGC, Nepal in September 2022, was established in 1981 as the Central Campus of the Institute of Forestry, one of the five technical institutes under Tribhuvan University, Nepal. The IOF, founded as Nepal Forestry Institute in Singh Durbar, Kathmandu, in 1947, was shifted to Suping (BhimPhedi) in 1957 and again to Hetauda in 1965.

GEO - Global Water Sustainability

Established in 2017 by the Group on Earth Observations - Water Community, GEOGloWS is a voluntary mechanism created by informal agreement among multiple partners from inside and outside the UN system. This mechanism allows for engagement and greater integration with trans-national organizations and agencies with water responsibilities at the National and Local levels.  

Person

Photo

Anam Bayazid

Intern United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

Anam Bayazid is an engineer with a passion for earth observation and space exploration technologies. Her academic journey involves pursuing a Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering with a concentration in Space Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology in United States. Her specialization is in systems modeling and simulation, as well as designing missions and systems for space exploration.

Photo of Pankaj Kumar

Pankaj Kumar

Associate Professor Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology Pantnagar

I am Dr Pankaj Kumar, currently working as an Associate Professor, Soil and Water Conservation Engineering at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar Uttarakhand, India. My research pursuits focus squarely on watershed sciences, hydrological modeling, ecosystem services assessment, geoinformatics (with a keen eye on water, soil erosion, hydrometeorological disasters, and land use and cover dynamics), and the integration of machine learning into these domains.

Photo of Nidhi Nagabhatla

Nidhi Nagabhatla

Senior Research Fellow The United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS)

Nidhi Nagabhatla is a Senior Fellow and Cluster Coordinator: Nature, Climate, and  Health at United Nations University – CRIS Belgium. As a sustainability science specialist and a systems analyst with nearly 23 years of work experience, she has led, coordinated, and implemented transdisciplinary projects in various geographical regions of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas working with international organizations and leading research and capacity

Software/Tool/(Web-)App

Bhuvan Ganga App

Bhuvan Ganga App is ISRO’s mobile application developed to enable public to collect and report information on various pollution sources that affects the water quality of river Ganga. This mobile app will provide a platform for crowd sourcing to monitor pollution in river Ganga and enable decision makers at National Mission for Cleaning Ganga (NMCG) under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India to prioritize interventions.

Bhuvan Ganga Geoportal

Bhuvan Ganga Geoportal provides platforms to manage, access, visualize, share and analyze geo spatial data, non-spatial data products and services towards spatial mashups to support NMCG objectives of environmental and ecological improvement within the Ganga River basin.

Space-based Solution

Addressed challenge(s)

Hydrometeorological disasters in the Indian Himalayas

Collaborating actors (stakeholders, professionals, young professionals or Indigenous voices)
Suggested solution

The historical disasters of the study region, the Garhwal Himalaya, were collected, and the types of hydrometeorological disasters (HMD) were tabulated with location, attribute, morbidity, and extent from 1803 to 2025. The Garhwal region has been divided into 58 tehsils (sub-administrative regions). For analysing past HMDs and to map Multi-Hazard Susceptibility Zonation on the tehsil level, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, satellite data, k-means clustering, and AHP techniques were used.

Requirements

Data

  • Survey of India map of the study area
  • Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
  • Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) rainfall data
  • Sentinel-2 Land Use / Land Cover (LULC) data
  • Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) Glacier data
  • National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP) Soil data
  • Disaster data from Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT)
  • National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
  • Various research publications
  • Along with regional newspapers

Software

  • QGIS
  • Google Earth Engine (GEE)

Steps to a solution

  1. Study Area

The Garhwal region is spread over approximately 32,366 square kilometres in northwestern Uttarakhand and comprises 58 sub-administrative divisions (tehsils). This region is a major part of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and has steep slopes, rugged terrain, and a geologically fragile structure, and hence is highly vulnerable to natural hazards. Though associated with steep topography, its intense monsoonal rainfall, changing land use patterns, and glacial influence all make the region highly vulnerable to hydrometeorological disasters (HMDs) such as floods, flash floods, landslides, GLOFs, cloud bursts, and avalanches.

Google Earth satellite image of the Garhwal region in India
Figure 1. Google Earth satellite image of the Garhwal region

 

Digital elevation model of the Garhwal region
Figure 2.  DEM of Garhwal region

 

Spatial distribution of hydrometeorological disasters and facilities in the Garhwal Himalayas
Figure 3. Spatial distribution of HMDs and fatalities in the Garhwal Himalayas (1803–2025)

 

  1. Collecting and processing  

Historical HMD data for the Garhwal region (1803–2025) have been collected from a variety of sources, including EM-DAT, scientific publications, NDMA, SDMA, and regional media reports.

Table 1. Geospatial Datasets Used in the Study
S.No.Dataset / LayerSource / MethodResolution / FormatYear / Period
1Study Area ShapefileSurvey of India / Custom DigitisationVector (Shapefile)Latest Available
2Digital Elevation Model (DEM)NASADEM30 m (Raster)2020
3Slope and ElevationDerived from NASADEM using QGIS30 m (Raster)2020 (Processed)
4Monsoon RainfallTRMM via GEEMonthly, ~25 km (Raster)1998-2015
5Land Use / Land Cover (LULC)ESA WorldCover (Sentinel-2)10 m (Raster)2021
6Glacier CoverGLIMS / ESA~30 m (Raster)Latest Available
7Proximity to RiversHydroSHEDSVariable (Rasterised)Processed Layer
8Soil Erosion ClassNBSS&LUP Database, IndiaVector -> Raster ConversionLatest Available

 

  1. How Thematic Layer Preparation Works

Seven thematic layers were created for the Garhwal region using satellite remote sensing data in QGIS and the GEE environment:

  1. Slope
  2. Elevation
  3. Rainfall
  4. Land Use/Land Cover (LULC)
  5. Soil Erosion
  6. The region’s closeness to rivers
  7. Glacier Proximity

The thematic layers were created using the data sourced from Table 1. Thematic layers were brought to the same scale (1–5) and brought together using AHP to develop a single risk zonation map.

The k-means clustering is done on the QGIS 3.42.3 platform using K-Means Clustering ABC (Attribute-based clustering) tab in the processing toolbox. The attributes were selected like location, elevation, and impact severity.

  1. Application of AHP

To evaluate HMD susceptibility using AHP, the main influencing factors were selected: slope, elevation, rainfall, LULC, soil erosion, rivers and glacier proximity. To create these layers, data from DEM for slope and elevation, image data from satellites for LULC, and hydrological data are used. Based on AHP, a table is filled, with one factor compared to another according to Saaty’s 1–9 scale to decide their relative weight. Weights are calculated with an eigenvector analysis, and a small consistency ratio (less than 0.1) indicates sensible conclusions. Finally, using an AHP weighted overlay in GIS, all the relevant layers are combined, and the outcome is a map showing where HMD susceptibility is highest.

Methodology flowchart
Figure 4. Methodology Flowchart

 

Results

  • Most (77.6 per cent) HMDs happened during the Monsoon season, followed by pre-monsoon (14.3 per cent), Winter season (6.1 per cent), and the post-monsoon season (2 per cent).   
  • The K-means clustering of disaster events in the Garhwal Himalayas yielded the clusters-based partitioning them based on shared characteristics (e.g., elevation, impact severity, location). 
  • The multi-hazard zonation using the AHP system shows that the north eastern or north tehsils like Joshimath and Chamoli have very high levels of risk, while places like Haridwar and Roorkee in the south have much lower risks.
AHP-based multi-hazard risk zonation in the Garhwal Himalayas
Figure 5. AHP-Based Multi-Hazard Risk Zonation in the Garhwal Himalayas

 

Future work  

  • Access and incorporation of socio-economic and infrastructure vulnerability cum exposure data for risk zonation 
  • Combining GIS outputs with participatory approaches to validate and refine vulnerability maps on the ground 
  • Make the methodology suitable and easily workable for the entire Himalayan Region to strengthen resilience against disasters 
  • Future climatic scenario along with ML to recognize and forecast disaster patterns  
  • Using space-based techniques for ecosystem-based disaster reduction
Related space-based solutions
Keywords (for the solution)
Climate Zone (addressed by the solution)
Habitat (addressed by the solution)
Region/Country (the solution was designed for, if any)
Relevant SDGs