INDIAN SOCIETY OF WATER MANAGEMENT
(Bhartiya Jal Prabandh Samiti)
Registered under the Society's Act XXI of 1860
Registration No.149 of 1985-86 (Chandigarh)
Water is the most vital input in agriculture and has made a significant contribution in providing stability to foodgrain production and self-sufficiency. Agriculture is by far the biggest user of water accounting for more than 70%of water utilisation world-wide and 90% of water utilisation in the developing countries. As compared to the surface water, greater proportion of additional irrigation water comes from the groundwater and this source is increasingly being exploited in an unsustainable manner. Major Irrigation Projects accompanied by unscientific water management are running into serious environmental and social problems. In addition, the problem has been further aggravated by deterioration of water quality, thereby making utilizable water as a diminishing resource and with competitive pressure from other users viz., Industry, Power, Domestic, Municipal Sectors, etc. for larger share, the scarcity of water for agricultural use is further constrained tremendously. In order to promote rational use of the limited and precious water resource with sustainability, the "Indian Society of Water Management (ISWAM)", a professional body, was established in 1985 with its headquarter located at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana).
With the establishment of the Directorate of Water Management Research (DWMR) at Rahuri (Maharashtra), the headquarter of ISWAM was shifted from Karnal to Rahuri in 1991. With the relocation of DWMR at Patna in 1996, the Society Headquarter was again shifted to Patna. Realising the multiple difficulties in the satisfactory execution of ISWAM activities at Patna, the General Body of the Society decided to shift the Headquarters of ISWAM to the Water Technology Centre, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi- 110 012, where it is operating since October 1998.
The aims and objectives of the Society
· To promote efficient and economic management of water for optimizing crop production.
· To promote basic and applied research and training in water management.
· To disseminate the information on scientific and technological aspects of water management.
· To arrange symposia/workshops/seminars on specific aspects of water management.
· To publish a journal, bulletins, monographs etc. on water management.
· To develop close collaboration and linkages with national and international professional societies with similar interests.
Membership
Persons and Organisations with interest in the efficient water use and management may seek ISWAM's membership. The current membership subscription for different categories of members is as below:
Category of Membership Subscription Rate
(With effect from 2002) Indian Foreign
(Rs.) (US$)
Admission Fee (Payable at the time of admission /
break in annual membership) 10 -
Ordinary Member (Annual) 150 100
Student Member (Annual)1 100 50
Institutional Member (Annual) 1500 1000
Life Member (Only once)2 2000 1000
Patron (Only once) 7500 4000
Corporate member-Organisation (Only once) 15000 7500
The Society currently has 238 Life Members, 4 Annual Members and 20 institutional members.
Note:- 1. Full time bonafide postgraduate students only, who are pursuing studies on any aspect of water management, are eligible for student membership. In proof of it, a certificate from the Head of the Department/Institute must be attached along with the application for membership.
2. It can also be paid in two equal instalments within one year.
Subscriptions are to be made through Account Payee Demand Draft only drawn in favour of Secretary, Indian Society of Water Management, payable at any nationalised bank in New Delhi.
Journal of the Society
The Society is publishing its journal entitled "Journal of Water Management" since 1993. The Journal has two issues in a year - one covering the period January to June and other July to December. The volumes for the years 1993 to 1998 have been published with a very good get up comparable to any standard journal in India or abroad. The issue of 1999 is in press while those of 2000 and 2001 are being processed and are likely to be printed before the end of the current year. All professionals engaged in any aspects of water management are welcome to submit their research papers in the Journal. The Society has instituted an award in the name of “Dr.J.S.P.Yadav Award for Best paper” for papers published in the journal since 1996.
Seminars/ Symposia/ Conferences
The Society held its first National Symposium on "Managing Water Resources for Sustainable Agriculture and Environment" at Navsari, Gujarat from Oct. 5-7, 1995 which was attended by over 180 delegates. The papers presented in that symposium were printed in the 1996 and 1997 volumes of the Journal.
As part of the Golden Jubilee
Celebrations of India's Independence, the Society in association with the
Indian Agricultural Research Institute organised a national level seminar at
the Water Technology Centre from April 15-17, 1998 on "Water Management
for Sustainable Agriculture - Problems and Perspectives for the 21st
Century". The Chief Guest of the Inaugural Session was Padma Vibhusan
Dr.M.S.Swaminathan former Director General, ICAR and IRRI. It was presided over
by Padma Bhushan Dr.R.S.Paroda, Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research
and Education and Director General, ICAR. Shri Z. Hasan, presently Secretary,
Ministry of Water Resources was the Chief Guest in the Plenary Session. More
than two hundred participants from all over the country participated in the
deliberations. The topics under different technical sessions covered were:
Assessment of Water Resources and their use in Agriculture; Sustained
Productivity in Irrigated Areas; On-Farm Water Management; Water Harvesting and
Recycling in Rainfed Areas; Conjunctive use of
Surface and Groundwater; Water Logging and Drainage; Use of Marginal Quality
Water for Irrigation; Environmental Impacts of Irrigation; Adoption of Modern
Tools in Irrigation Water Management; People's Participation and Transfer of
Technology; and Policy Issues related to Water Management. The Proceedings of
the Seminar were released by Bharat Ratna Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Scientific
Adviser to Defence Minister at the Annual Convocation of IARI held in February
1999. A set of recommendations which emanated from the Seminar, have also been
printed and distributed to all organizations associated with water management.
Limited copies of the proceedings are available from the Society's office @ Rs.
350/= for students and society members and @ Rs. 650/= for others. The price is
inclusive of postage.
The Society was actively associated in organising the National Conference on Salinity Management in Agriculture held at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute Karnal in collaboration with the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers from December 2 - 5, 1998. As a member of a consortium of nine professional societies, the Indian Society of Water Management was also actively involved in the organisation of the International Conference on "Managing Natural Resources for Sustainable Agricultural Production for the 21st Century" held at New Delhi during February 14-18, 2000.
The Society hopes to organize national level seminars on current issues regularly and an international symposium in the near future.
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
The present executive council of the Society is as under:
President: Dr. J.S.P. Yadav
Vice Presidents: Dr. S.S. Magar; Dr. Subhash Chandra
Secretary: Dr. A.K. Singh
Joint Secretary (HQ): Dr. S. Raman
Joint Secretary (Outstation): Dr. Ravender Singh
Treasurer: Dr. D.K. Singh
Chief Editor: Dr. S.K. Gupta
Editorial Board: Dr. R.K. Rattan; Dr.A.K.Bhattacharya; Dr. Subedar Singh
COUNCILLORS
Zone I East Zone West Zone Zone IV
Dr. P. K. Sharma Dr. Vinod Kumar Dr. A. G. Powar
Dr. S. K. Dubey Dr. A. Zaman Dr. A. G. Wani
For details and any other information please write to The Secretary, Indian Society of Water Management (ISWAM), Water Technology Centre, IARI, New Delhi-110 012, India.
A.K.Singh
Secretary