Involvement in Policy Formulation

International Level

Karunya has been involved in supporting the policy formulation by international agencies like Wetland International-South Asia (Member-Governing Body and Consultant), International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage - Working Group on Tidal Waters (Member and Contributor of Papers), US Department of State on ‘Future is Now-India from COP 21 to Reality’ (Consultant and Presentation of Paper on ‘Water Management-Flood and Droughts’),Water Partnership of Great Lakes of America (MoA for Joint Activities with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), GIZ of German Government (Membership in Review Committee and Consultant), NASA-Land Cover Land Use Change (LCLUC) Initiatives (Regional Meeting and Training Workshop in KITS and Installation of AERONET in the Campus - Global Network of NASA), and Technical Universities of Berlin and Aachen (IGSI Network Activities- Urban lab and Workshop at KITS).

National Level

Water Institute of Karunya involved in supporting the formulation of National Policies by serving in the Central Wetland Regulatory Authority of MOEF&CC of GoI (Expert Member-Hydrology), preparing the Wetland Regulations 2010 (Member, Committee to Formulate the Rules), National Wetland Atlas of SAC/ MOEF&CC (Chairmanship of Steering Committee), WAR for Water Committee constituted on the directives of the Supreme Court (Membership), Wetland Committee of MOEF&CC, Indian National Committee on Surface Water of Jal Shakthi Ministry (Membership), Committee constituted by the Supreme Court on Encroachments to the Wetlands of Bhavnagar-Gujarat (Membership), the Committee to investigate the Pollution of Ashtamudi - a Ramsar Site (MOEF&CC -Membership), and Project Review Committee of DST (GoI) on the National Programme on Isotope Fingerprinting of Waters of India – IWIN (Membership) to name a few examples. KITS also prepared a report on Integrated Water Resource Management Plan of Mahanadi River of Odisha (for WISA), evaluated the implementation of Management Action Plan of the Loktak Lake for the project funded by the Planning Commission and Manipur Government, evaluated the implementation of Watershed Project in Attapadi Valley for Japan International Co-operation Agency and also prepared a project proposal for replicating the Attapadi Project in the tribal belt of Wayand (JICA for Japanese Government), evaluated the project on opportunity cost with regard to the wetlands funded by GIZ of German Government, served the Review Committee of Tata Trust funded projects on Economic Evaluation of Water Resources Projects carried out by CESS, Hyderabad.

State Level

Karunya is represented as a Member of the Wetland Authority of Tamil Nadu and also Kerala. KITS carried out a consultancy project dealing with ‘Eco-Hydrology’ of Point Calimere Wetland a Ramsar site with funding from GIZ of German Government. KITS involved in preparing the Flood Studies Report for Government of Kerala and collaborated with the Dutch Experts in suggesting flood mitigation works for Kerala. The Water Institute helped in formulating a Water Policy for Kerala (Co-chairperson) and in preparing guidelines for establishing River Basin Authorities for the Planning Board of Kerala (Chairperson). KITS served as the Advisor for preparing Guidelines for Time and Motion Studies to come out with a Schedule of Rates for MNERAGA (for NIRD and Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, GoI). The Time and Motion study was carried out by KITS team for Tamil Nadu; most of these works pertained to soil and water conservation and agriculture.

Local Level

In collaboration with the LSG of Alandurai Town Panchayat in Coimbatore District, KITS implemented sanitation projects adopting innovative technologies. The institution implemented water management practices in one of the rural villages located near the campus. Scientific support is provided to the local panchayat and communities on water management, precision farming and animal husbandry.