53-934: Vihar Lake (Pronunciation: [ʋiɦaːɾ] ) is located near Vihar village on the Mithi River within the precincts of the Borivali National Park , also called the Sanjay Gandhi National Park , in North Mumbai . When built in 1860 (construction started in 1856), it was considered as the largest lake in Mumbai in the Salsette group of islands. It is hemmed between the Tulsi Lake and the Powai Lake (shown in map). It partly meets
106-442: A collection of over 35,000 books and bound volumes of journals is almost certainly the largest such collection in the country in the field of oceanography. Besides the print collection, the library has on-line access to over 3,000 journals either by direct subscription or as a part of a consortium. Participation of the library in international programmes has made this library a source of information about Indian oceanographic studies for
159-404: A global scale as the government of India has again began to ignore this extremely important issue. In 2009, environmentalist and Magsaysay Award winner, Rajendra Singh lead a yatra , of a group of environmentalist and NGOs, through Mumbai city along the degraded Mithi river to highlight its problems. A Contemporary Art show was also held in 2009 to increase awareness of the dire situation of
212-454: A lot of excitement among the public. The health department of BMC who analysed the water sample from the site found that salt level in the sea water was as low as 600 particle per million (ppm), compared to the normal level 10000000 particle per million (ppm). The National Institute of Oceanography , Goa who were also consulted stated that this phenomenon was not unusual and could have been caused by heavy rainfall and low tide. This necessitated
265-454: A major project taken up by the institute was organising the first Indian Expedition to Antarctica in 1981. This project, together with exploration for polymetallic nodules, established close ties between NIO and the then Department of Ocean Development and subsequently the Ministry of Earth Sciences , Government of India . These ties helped the institute to grow while the government expanded
318-416: A major role in answering critical questions concerning the processes that go on in this basin with lower than normal oxygen levels. Some of the questions that have been addressed are the following: Does the monsoon cycle lead to other seasonal cycles, such as that of biological production and flux of sinking particles? What are the special features of biogeochemistry of the ocean regime with low oxygen? How do
371-482: A new discipline, biogeochemistry of the oceans. Some of NIO's most cited research contributions have been about two aspects of the upper layer: its circulation and biogeochemistry. Currents in this layer are driven by winds . As these are periodic over the North Indian Ocean , so are the currents, in striking contrast to other tropical regions of the world. The link between the winds and currents, however,
424-634: A population of 0.7 million) to 36 million gallons. The lake and its catchment are protected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Sanjay Gandhi National Park Authority. The catchment areas of Vihar lake has high hills rising on all sides. The seclusion, protection, and security provided under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park has ensured well wooded hill slopes and abundant natural regeneration. Higher percentage of khair species has been noted in
477-454: A region that usually occurs at a latitude of about 40° and is an important supplier of oxygen to the ocean. Not having access to such a regime, the North Indian Ocean is starved of oxygen. Another reason why oxygen is low is the consequence of high concentration of the primary producers of the region. When these plants and zooplankton that feed on them die and sink they get microbially degraded, thus consuming oxygen. NIO researchers have played
530-596: A total of 18 km before it meets the Arabian Sea at Mahim Creek flowing through residential and industrial complexes of Powai, Saki Naka , Kurla , Kalina , Vakola , Bandra Kurla Complex , Dharavi and Mahim . The river has an average width of 5 metres in the upper reaches, has been widened to 25 m in the middle reaches and up to 70 m in the lower reaches after 26 July 2005 deluge (944 mm in 24 h on 26 July 2005). The river has been polluted by dumping of raw sewage , industrial waste and municipal waste into
583-530: Is 200), 120 of whom hold Ph.D.'s, 210 technical and support staff, and 120 administrative staff. The faculty and staff are spread across four campuses: Goa , Mumbai , Kochi , and Visakhapatnam . The main campus is in Dona Paula, Goa , where approximately 80% of the employees work. A project on polymetallic nodules , which has been funded by the Government of India for over 25 years, is an example of
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#1732794570071636-683: Is a relatively small basin when compared to the North/South Atlantic/Pacific and even the South Indian Ocean and, of course, there is the seasonality imposed by the monsoons. In the figure above red areas represent areas with elevation of a few kilometers. The presence of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas influences the monsoons. NIO's scientists have made handsome contributions to understanding
689-507: Is another area of research for which the institute has received patents. The Maya AUV is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed by the institute. NIO researchers have undertaken a number of projects in service of the industry in India. One of the first projects taken up by NIO on acquiring its research vessel RV Gaveshani was demarcation of a pipeline for carrying oil from India's first offshore oil field at Bombay High. This project
742-477: Is rather intricate. NIO researchers played a leading role in defining the nature of seasonality in the currents over the basin in general, and along the coast of India in particular. Subsequent analysis and model studies showed that the circulation of the North Indian Ocean needs to be looked at holistically across the basin because the winds at a location influence not only the local current, but affect
795-415: Is stopped by a dam at other times. During this season, the gutter is a favourite with anglers , who can catch large fish that have escaped from the lakes . Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is located right next to the section of river at Andheri (E) . The river originates from the overflow of Vihar Lake and also receives the overflows from the Powai Lake about 2 km later. It flows for
848-483: Is the 23 m long coastal research vessel CRV Sagar Sukti. The recently acquired 56.5 m long RV Sindhu Sankalp serves primarily on the continental margins, but it is capable of open-sea voyages. NIO's 80 m long research vessel RV Sindhu Sadhana, which will be capable of full open-sea studies, was constructed at the ABG Shipyard, Surat. It was joined the institute during 2011–12. The institute has, over time, developed
901-542: The Maharashtra Government to intervene and examine the issue rationally to convince the excited public. BMC Commissioner gave a press statement stating: The Mahim creek is located in a semi-enclosed area where fresh water and sea water mix especially during low tide, which caused the dilution. Also, the Vihar Lake on the outskirts of Mumbai has been overflowing for the past few days and has flown into
954-552: The northern Indian Ocean's monsoonal cycles, chemical properties of the water column, abundance and distribution of food resources such as fish productivity, and understanding the geology of the Indian Ocean through sea bed mapping and sampling. These are important not only to the global community of researchers, but also to the large population that lives in the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean in general, and
1007-522: The British rulers of the time, to examine the grievances of the agitators concurred with water shortage problem and stressed the urgent need to solve the water supply problem of Mumbai. The Committee appointed by the government located suitable sites to construct dams and create reservoirs to store the monsoon flows of the Mithi river catchment, which resulted in presently existing Vihar Lake, Tulsi Lake, and
1060-615: The Mithi River in Bombay by Chintan Upadhyay titled Khatti – Mithi. National Institute of Oceanography, India The National Institute of Oceanography , founded on 1 January 1966 as one of 38 constituent laboratories of the CSIR , is a self-governing research organisation in India that conducts scientific research and studies on the unique oceanographic features of
1113-467: The Mithi River, which could be the reason for the water tasting sweet. Mithi River The Mithi River (Pronunciation: [miʈʰiː] ) is a river on Salsette Island , the island of the city of Mumbai , India. It is a confluence of tail-water discharges of the Powai and Vihar lakes. The river is seasonal and rises during the monsoons . The overflowing lakes also contribute to the river flow, which
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#17327945700711166-459: The Mumbai public, as the lake is located in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park . It can still be viewed in many Bollywood movies in a long shot taken from Mumbai Film City, as seen in the Infobox. Impoundment of Mithi River, 20 km (12 mi) north of Mumbai, was effected to store the rainwater from a catchment area of 18.96 km to create the Vihar Lake. The Powai-Kanheri hill ranges form
1219-485: The NIO website, www.nio.org. NIO possesses about 50 patents, 60% of which are related to marine biotechnology research. Organisms in the marine environment carry molecules that could be useful in the development of new drugs and other healthcare products. This is a new area of study for NIO researchers. Their research has resulted in research papers and intellectual property for the institute. Marine instrumentation
1272-681: The North Indian Ocean in particular. As a result, the international community of oceanographers organised the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) from 1959 to 1965 to describe and understand the basic features of the Indian Ocean . This expedition was enthusiastically supported by the Government of India. As the IIOE approached its conclusion, the government decided that the Indians who had participated in
1325-646: The Powai Lake. Vihar reservoir was the first piped water supply scheme of Mumbai. In 1850, Captain Crawford submitted a report favouring the Vihar Scheme for the Mumbai city's water supply needs. Work on the "Vihar Water Works" commenced in January 1856 and was completed in 1860, during the governorship of John Lord Elphinstone . The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a Govt. body which controls
1378-433: The biogeochemical processes (denitrification, for example) that characterize this system work? What are the physical processes that sustain high productivity in the region? How does the monsoon cycle influence temporal evolution of ecosystems in the region? The research contributions (journal publications, reports, books , etc.) from the institute that provide details about the contributions mentioned above are available from
1431-417: The capability of deploying and retrieving instruments hoisted over moorings in depths from 5 to 5,000 m. These instruments record time-series data during the period of deployment, which can be as long as two years. To support its varied activities, NIO uses the services of limited-tenure staff, including doctoral students, project assistants and post-doctoral fellows. Their numbers have grown significantly with
1484-402: The catchment area of the lake. As the lake is situated inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the flora and fauna reported for the park would be relevant to the lake. However, fresh water crocodiles Mugger or Marsh crocodiles ( Crocodilus palustris ) are known to inhabit the lake in sustainable numbers. As it is difficult to sight them in the lake, the park has set up a Crocodile Park’ to view
1537-476: The catchment area, which drains the rain water into the lake. For this purpose, three earthen embankment dams with a masonry spillway section were constructed to create a reservoir of 9200 million gallons capacity at the full reservoir level of 80.42 metres. The lake has a maximum water depth of 34 m and a minimum of 12 m. The lakes water spread area is 7 km. The dam height was raised in 1872 resulting in increase of water supply from 32 million gallons (catering to
1590-526: The country. NIO's Research Council has recommended that the institute take steps to start a school of oceanography as early as possible to address the problem of shortage of advanced manpower in ocean sciences in the country. The number of Junior Research Fellows, qualified through NET (i.e., the National Eligibility Test, conducted by CSIR), Senior Research Fellows (selected by HRDG, CSIR) and Project Assistants who are enrolled for Ph.D. in
1643-507: The current at remote locations at a later time owing to the propagation of large-scale waves. For example, it is now known that the winds along the Indian east coast significantly affect the seasonal cycle of the current off the Indian west coast. By restricting the North Indian Ocean to south of 25° N, the Asian landmass prevents the basin from having access to the sub-tropical convergence zone,
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1696-403: The directorate General of Shipping, Government of India, has sought NIO's help to develop plans for ballast water management in major Indian ports. The NIO Data Centre (NIODC) acquires, processes, formats and stores data generated by the institute (from about 1000 cruises during 1973 to 2009) in a database for easy and efficient retrieval and supply to end users. The library of the institute has
1749-508: The drinking water needs of the Mumbai region. It supplies only 3% of the Mumbai city's water requirement, after filtration at Bhandup where the large water filtration plant is located. With the few thousand wells feeding the population of Mumbai tending to go dry during summer, the acute shortage of water resulted in protests by the local residents in June 1845. A two-man committee, appointed by
1802-423: The dying river and the entire operation at Mithi will be done through solar power in an attempt to stay energy neutral. Recently environmentalist Afroz Shah has launched campaigns with the local citizens of Mumbai to clean the Mithi river, to much success. Many young entrepreneurs in and around Mumbai are now aggressively involved with raising awareness of the degradation of the Mithi River, and creating awareness on
1855-491: The expedition needed an institution where they could build on the oceanographic research skills they had learned during the expedition. The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) was founded as a result of these considerations. Dr. N.K. Panikkar , Padma Shri , was appointed director of this institute, a position he held until his retirement in May 1973. Today, the institute employs approximately 170 scientists (sanctioned strength
1908-414: The growth in research programmes. The largest increase has been in the number of project assistants since CSIR introduced the "Project Assistant Scheme" to tap the services of fresh graduates for enhancing the productivity of its institutions. Hired regularly through walk-in interviews, the fresh graduates are permitted by this scheme to gain hands-on exposure to oceanographic research. The graduates also have
1961-456: The implications of these special features through observations and analyses. The former have included ship-based observations, time-series data collected with moored instruments and satellite data. ORV Sagar Kanya , which was acquired by the Government of India for use by oceanographic research institutions in India, has been playing a major role in these observations. As noted earlier, an important theme of research at NIO has been understanding
2014-486: The infrastructure for ocean research, technology and services in the country. Since the early 1980s, an important theme for basic research in the institute has been, and continues to be, understanding oceanographic implications of the special characteristics of the North Indian basin, which has some unique features: the basin is strictly tropical, with the Asian landmass restricting it south of about 25 degrees N; it
2067-473: The institute's dual role. By the late 1970s, the government had determined that the country's mineral resources of strategic importance needed to be expanded. NIO was tasked with exploring the oceans for this purpose. NIO recovered polymetallic nodules from a depth of 4,800 meters in the western Indian Ocean on 26 January 1981, using its first research vessel, RV Gaveshani, which was purchased in 1976. Subsequently, work by NIO researchers helped India to gain
2120-575: The lake's affairs has also acquired agricultural land in the catchment area of the Vihar lake as a sanitary precaution. By road, it is 31 km (19 mi) from Mumbai. Access by suburban electric train is to Kurla or Andheri and then by road. Access to the lake for the general public has been curtailed since 13 March 1993 (Source: Official BMC Board installed at the gate) following the Bombay Blasts on 12 March 1993 due to perceived threats to
2173-589: The northern Indian Ocean . It is headquartered in Goa and has regional offices in Kochi , Mumbai , and Visakhapatnam . By the 1950s, oceanographers all over the world realised that, while progress had been made in describing and understanding the observed features of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans , the Indian Ocean remained largely unexplored. It was critical to address fundamental oceanographic issues related to
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2226-438: The oceanography of the North Indian Ocean – a tropical and small basin driven by strongly seasonal winds. The uppermost 200 m (oceans are on average about 4000 m deep) form the most active portion of the ocean. Here, major currents are forced by winds, and primary producers (microscopic plants that drift with currents) set the stage for intricate interactions that go across the traditional boundaries between disciplines, leading to
2279-727: The option of becoming doctoral students through the Senior Research Fellow scheme of the Human Resource Development Group (HRDG) of CSIR. A number of universities have recognized NIO as a centre for doctoral research and about 50 scientists from amongst its staff are at present recognized by these universities as doctoral research guides. With the establishment of the Academy for Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR's institutions are poised to take major initiatives in advanced education in
2332-403: The present polluted state of the river. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has undertaken a cleanliness drive lately so that the floods of 26 July 2005 are not repeated. An environmental group has been formed by Rajendra Singh , an award-winning conservationist in 2009. The BMC has been able to remove just 267,000 cubic metres so far, or 60% of what is required. It aims to revive
2385-514: The reptiles of different sizes. Limnological studies carried out by the Central Public Health Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, India, in 1964, indicated an unstable thermal stratification in the lake waters. The dissolved oxygen (DO) values were found to increase in some months and carbon dioxide was found to be less at the surface than at the bottom. In cooler season, the surface water
2438-430: The rest of the world and also to network with other, larger libraries to access documents not available in its holdings. Research at the institute is supported by a large number of well-equipped laboratories on its campuses and by the seagoing capability offered by its ships. To support its multi-disciplinary ocean research programmes, the institute plans to maintain a fleet of three research vessels. The smallest of these
2491-419: The river. Besides this, illegal activities like washing vessels, animals and oily drums, discharge of unauthorised hazardous waste are also carried out along the course of this river. Cattle sheds in some areas contribute animal waste. Barrel cleaners, scrap dealers and others dump sludge oil , effluent and garbage in the river. The organic waste, sludge and garbage dumping has reduced the carrying capacity of
2544-407: The river. The water with mixture of sewage and industrial waste is a threat to marine life. The river bed is full of sludge, garbage and vegetation growth like water hyacinth in many parts. The city of Mumbai earned the epithet – 'Cottonopolis of India' due to its vibrant cotton textile mills . The mills over the years have utilized water from this river and dumped their waste into it leading to
2597-503: The status of "Pioneer Investor" from the International Sea Bed Authority . While this research was aimed at placing the country in a strategically enhanced position, it also provided the institute an opportunity to study the marine geology and geophysics of the Indian Ocean . Some of the issues they addressed are the following: Evolution of the Indian tectonic plates and its implications; determination of
2650-439: The time when the Himalayas started rising leading to monsoonal climate of the Indian subcontinent; nature of mid-ocean ridges (where new crusts form); characteristics of marine sedimentary facies; the role of rivers on the Indian subcontinent in marine sediment budget and paleoclimatic evolution as archived in the sediment cores. During the first decade and a half of its founding, besides developing its main campus at Goa ,
2703-427: The world during recent years is the transfer of organisms from one port to another located far away owing to transfer of water used by ships for ballast. Such transfer has been shown to lead sometimes to uncontrolled growth of organisms alien to the local ecology, which can then wipe out local fisheries. NIO scientists have played a major role in spreading awareness of the problem in India. In recognition of their efforts,
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#17327945700712756-503: Was found to be less alkaline, which could be attributed to the photosynthesis activity of the algae. The pH stratification was found to be unstable. Interrelation was attributed to fluctuations in the chlorophyll, pH and DO values and nitrates were generally absent on the surface and no sulphates were detected. In the year 2006, finding sweet water at the Mahim Creek (a semi enclosed area), where fresh water and sea water meet, created
2809-877: Was undertaken at the request of India's public sector organisation, the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC). Since then, NIO has carried out a number of projects for India's public sector undertakings and private enterprises. The list of NIO's clientele includes major petroleum companies and ports. NIO's services have been used in the development of coastal areas by Bharuch Eco-Aqua Infrastructure Ltd., Ankleshwar, and Coastal Marine Construction & Engineering Ltd., Mumbai. NIO's services have also been sought by central and state governments. Sponsored and consultancy projects taken up by NIO include Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Coastal Zone Management, Resource Surveys, Biofouling & Corrosion studies, and development of marine instruments. A problem that has been worrying governments around
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