Rain-Gauge Network Design and Rainfall Estimation—Case Study of Odisha Basins

Abstract

Rainfall data are important inputs for effective planning, designing and operation of water resources projects. A well-designed optimal rain-gauge network is being difficult task for hydrologist, as comprises rainfall values. Rain-gauge network provides rainfall measurement with high degree of accuracy at specific location, but most cases, the rain-gauge is too sparely distributed to capture accurate high spatial and temporal rainfall data. Therefore, a number of guidelines for setting up rain-gauge network from India Meteorological Department (IMD) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), still the question is being arisen, where to effectively deploy new or change the current position of RG network. A new rain-gauge network set-up over different part is challenging job for hydrologist and meteorologist. As per the IMD and WMO guidelines, area with high elevation has a greater number of rain-gauge as compared with plain area. Thus, the study demonstrates the designing of the rain-gauge network in different locations and estimating the rainfall with desire accuracy. The results obtained optimal rain-gauge network design through combined use of added and redundant station is equally applicable to any other catchment area. The study represents the guidelines and rainfall estimation utilizing different methods and techniques in a case-to-case basis with respect to basins of Odisha which will help in better flow computation and flood forecasting.