State Water Resources Management Agency

The State Water Resources Management Agency, under the Water Resources Department, was established in 2017 as a prerequisite for the Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization Project, as recommended by the World Bank. The agency aims to improve institutional arrangements and capacity for sustainable water resources management in Tamil Nadu, focusing on a holistic development and management approach within a river basin framework.

The functions of this agency include:

• Development of the web-enabled “Tamil Nadu Water Resources Information System” to support efficient integrated water resources management and regulation.
• Creation of a Decision Implementation Support for basins and assessment of surface water potential for river basins.
• Development of reservoir flood modeling.
• Institutional strengthening and capacity building for Water Resources Department engineers through training, workshops, meetings, and seminars.
• Updating and maintaining the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Information System.
• Preparation of water audits for irrigation systems.

Tasks Completed in 2023-2024:

• Conducted water audit studies for Vidur Reservoir and Gomukhi Reservoir projects to assess the performance of the reservoirs and irrigation systems, with published reports.
• Conducted a training program for farmers on “Water Conservation Strategies in Agricultural Fields for Sustainable Water Resources Management.”
• Collected data and updated the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Information System to aid efficient integrated water resources management.
• Updated full climate data and sunshine data up to 2022.
• Calculated the average annual rainfall for rainfall stations up to 2022.
• Collected industrial water consumption details up to 2022.
• Gathered data for the Mirugandanadhi and Gomukhi Reservoirs for conducting water audits and reservoir flood modeling using MIKE HYDRO BASIN software.
• Collected agricultural and statistical data to study the performance of the Vidur and Gomukhi reservoirs.

Tasks Planned for 2024-2025:

• Command area mapping for reservoirs using GIS and remote sensing.
• Conducting water auditing studies for reservoirs in Chennai, Madurai, and Trichy regions.
• Organizing training on water conservation strategies and sustainable water resources management for farmers, as well as capacity-building programs for Water Resources Department engineers through trainings, workshops, meetings, and seminars.