IIT Roorkee partners with the Ministry of Jal Shakti for irrigation water management solutions

The Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has established a partnership with the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, to design irrigation water management solutions through modernising Command Area Development (M-CAD).

The partnership aims to promote research, capacity building and policy innovation to improve water delivery and irrigation practices across farmlands. Uttarakhand irrigation will have a special focus during the study, due to the state’s hilly terrain, fragmented landholdings, and climate variability.

The partnership between the institute and the ministry will create “innovative irrigation models” through M-CAD for both the Himalayan and plain regions of the country.

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IIT Roorkee water management agreement

The agreement for irrigation practices was signed between Anuj Kanwal, commissioner, Command Area Development and Water Management (CADWM) wing, Ministry of Jal Shakti, and Vivek K Malik, dean of Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC) at IIT Roorkee.

Speaking about the IIT Roorkee irrigation partnership, Kamal Kishore Pant, the director of IIT Roorkee, said: “Through this initiative, we aim to contribute meaningfully to the modernisation of India’s command area, ensure inclusive participation of rural communities, and support evidence-based policymaking. This aligns directly with the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 and the goals of Jal Shakti Abhiyan, strengthening water security and agricultural resilience for future generations.”

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IIT Roorkee: Irrigation partnership

The IIT Roorkee-Ministry of Jal Shakti agreement was signed in the presence of Ashish Pandey, head, Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (CSRD), Ashok K Jeph, director, CADWM wing, Kritika Kothari, department of water resources development and management, and Debashree Mukherjee, secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Debashree Mukherjee, secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, identified a “critical” need for documentation of M-CAD efforts across India. She also emphasised the need for technologies to be tailored to unique Indian conditions.