Dehradun: The Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) hosted an expert lecture on “Water Resources of Uttarakhand: Present Status, Emerging Challenges and Sustainable Solutions” at its auditorium on Friday, under the ongoing Water Education Programme.

Presiding over the event, UCOST Director General Prof. Durgesh Pant emphasized the importance of public and student participation in conserving and scientifically studying the state’s water sources. He noted that rivers, streams, and glaciers originating from the Himalayas are vital for human life and biodiversity. Prof. Pant stressed that scientific research is essential to address future water challenges and highlighted UCOST’s initiative “Maa Dhara Naman”, under which conservation and scientific study of 100 water sources across the state has been launched.

UCOST Joint Director Dr. D.P. Uniyal shared details of various scientific programmes and projects being run across Uttarakhand, while programme coordinator Dr. Bhavtosh Sharma outlined the event’s framework and introduced the keynote speaker.

Delivering the lecture, Dr. Soban Singh Rawat, Senior Scientist at the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, discussed the historical and current status of Himalayan rivers, water-related challenges, and possible solutions. He underlined the urgent need for collective efforts to address water scarcity, particularly the declining condition of springs in Uttarakhand. Dr. Rawat also spoke about spring rejuvenation, the use of remote sensing and GIS technologies, and the application of satellite data to better understand rainfall patterns.

The programme saw active participation from students of various schools in Uttarakhand’s hill districts through projector-based sessions. Over 300 participants—including scientists, project officers, advisors, university and college students, researchers, and teachers from districts such as Pithoragarh, Champawat, Bageshwar, Almora, Pauri, Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Chamoli, and Dehradun—joined both offline and online.

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