Central Water Commission

About Central Water Commission (CWC):

• It is a premier technical organization of India in the field of water resources.
• It is presently functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Functions:
  • The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating, and furthering, in consultation with the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation, and utilization of water resourcesthroughout the country for purposes of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply, and Water Power Development.
  • It also undertakes the investigations, construction, and execution of any such schemes as required.
• Organisation Structure:
  • It is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India. 
  • The work of the Commission is divided among 3 wings, namely,
• Designs and Research (D&R) Wing
• River Management (RM) Wing
• Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.
  • Each wing is placed under the charge of a full-time member with the status of Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
  • Each wing, comprising a number of organisations, is responsible for the disposal of tasks and duties falling within the scope of functions assigned to them.
  • The National Water Academy, located in Pune, is responsible for training of central and state in-service engineers and it functions directly under the guidance of the Chairman.

Q1: What are glacial lakes?

Glacial lakes are large bodies of water that sit in front of, on top of, or beneath a melting glacier. As a glacier withdraws, it leaves behind a depression that gets filled with meltwater, thereby forming a lake. The more the glacier recedes, the bigger and more dangerous the lake becomes. Such lakes are mostly dammed by unstable ice or sediment composed of loose rock and debris. In case the boundary around them breaks, huge amounts of water rush down the side of the mountains, which could cause flooding in the downstream areas. This is called the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood.

News: Himalayan glacial lakes saw 10.81% area expansion from 2011 to 2024: Report