An experiment to monitor relevant parameters in left bank Canal of the Ghataprabha River using satellites has proved to be successful. This sort of experiment is the first of its kind in the country.

The Central Water Committee and Union Ministry of Water Resources have evinced keen interest in studying this experiment.

A sensor that transmitted data to a satellite was placed in the canal. The sensor was programmed to generate data regarding the depth of water in the canal and the speed of the water flow.

The data generated through the experiment helped hydorlogists and engineers to calculate the amount of water that is released on the basis of the width and depth of the canal. With this information in hand, officials can direct the employee to regulate the water discharge depending on the situation. The quantity of water that has to be released in different canals can also be calculated using this technology.

One of the officials from the Karnataka Niravari Nigama Limited (KNNL) said: “Earlier we used to calculate the quantity of water that we have released after assessing the decrease in the water level in the dams. That procedure takes several days. But now we can get the details immediately.

This will help us to minimise the water wastage and to direct the water to the areas to which it is not supplied.”