TAG: GS 1: GEOGRAPHY
THE CONTEXT: India and Denmark collaborated to create a ‘smart laboratory on clean rivers’ in Varanasi, aimed at rejuvenating the Varuna river within 2-3 years.
EXPLANATION:
Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR)
- India and Denmark have joined hands to establish a ‘smart laboratory on clean rivers’ (SLCR) in Varanasi to bring excellence in small river rejuvenation and management.
- To begin with, the lab aims to leverage the expertise of both nations to rejuvenate Varuna, a tributary of Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, using sustainable approaches within 2-3 years.
- The alliance is a tripartite initiative between the Government of India, the Indian Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University (IIT-BHU), and the Govt of Denmark.
- The SLCR secretariat will receive initial funding of Rs 16.8 crore from the Jal Shakti (water resources) ministry and an additional Rs 5 crore grant from Denmark to support long-term sustainability and project development.
- Its objectives include creating a collaborative platform for govt bodies, knowledge institutions and local communities to share insights and develop solutions for clean river water.
- The initiative features a hybrid lab model at the IIT-BHU and an on-field living lab at the Varuna river to test and scale solutions in real-world settings.
- The commitment includes developing a decision support system (DSS) for water management to analyse basin water dynamics through hydrological models, scenario generation, forecasting and data analytics.
Key Outcomes
- This 2-3-year project will integrate groundwater and hydrological models to create a comprehensive river management plan, with key outcomes including real-time monitoring, data visualisation tools and scenario simulations.
- The SLCR is expected to bring out a unique confluence of academia, sub-national and national government working in partnership with another country to co-create solutions for identified problems and issues pertaining to river health in general and small river rejuvenation in particular.
Varuna River
- The Varuna River is a minor tributary of the Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh, India.
- It originates at Phulpur in the Prayagraj district and merges into the Ganges near Sarai Mohana in the Varanasi district.
- The 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) stretch between Sarai Mohana and Sadar, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh is prone to flooding.
- The name ‘Varanasi’ is originated from the name of two rivers, Varuna and Assi.
- It covers a distance of twelve kilometers from the western part of Jaunpur district, near the town of Mungerabad Shahpur, and eventually joins the Ganga River in Varanasi after a journey of 202 kilometers.
