Review of History of hydraulic research in India by G. S. Dhillon

Abstract

The book attempts to cover only those studies in which a practicing engineer is involved in problem formulation and in the evaluation and application of the results. Such studies mainly have been conducted by a handful of government organizations. One such organization is the Irrigation and Power Research Institute, Amritsar. The author had a long association with this institute; consequently, he emphasized studies conducted in this institute. Most studies are related to the development of irrigation and hydropower. The title of the book should be ‘‘Development of Irrigation Structures in India.’’ The book contains 20 chapters. The first chapter, entitled ‘‘Growth of Hydraulic Research in India,’’ summarizes the chronology of the establishment of hydraulic research organizations during the British rule and after independence in 1947. The remaining chapters deal with the various aspects of river behavior and control, including research areas ~e.g., ice modeling, tidal power, and lock structures! in which no significant contribution was made by Indian research organizations. The history of hydraulics in India dates back 3000 B.C. and it is not covered in the book. In 1998 the reviewer led a group of graduate students from The Univ. of Iowa to India and visited some of the ancient sites, e.g.: ~1! the remains of an ancient city at Lothal, Gujarat, built about 4,500 years ago, which includes an intricate system of surface and underground drains and a large rectangular basin probably for docking trade ships; ~2! the remains of one of the finest of the Gujarati step wells, known as Adalaj Vav, built some 500 years ago; and ~3! a number of crossdrainage works on the Ganga Canal that are over 150 years old. There still is a scope for another book on the history of hydraulics that also covers the ancient period and the basic hydraulic research.