Mukuteswara Gopalkrishnan to receive American Academy of Water Resources Engineers highest honor

Article and Picture Courtesy: American Academy of Water Resources Engineers

John J. Cassidy, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M.ASCE, NAE, Hon.D.WRE, of Walnut Creek, California, and Mukuteswara Gopalakrishnan Hon.D.WRE, of New Delhi, India and the Secretary General of International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) were recently elected the nineteenth and twentieth Honorary Diplomates of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers. The Honorary Diplomate status is AAWRE's highest honor given to an individual. Since the founding of AAWRE in October 2004, twenty individuals have received the Honorary Diplomate, Water Resources Engineers (Hon.D.WRE) status from the Academy.

Honorary Diplomate status is only granted to outstanding individuals who meet one or more of the following criteria: has attained a position of eminence in the water resources engineering profession, has made a singular noteworthy achievement or sustained noteworthy contributions to the advancement of the water resources engineering profession, or has rendered outstanding service over a sustained period of time in the field of water resources and to the work of the Academy.
Dr. Cassidy and Mr. Gopalakrishnan will be awarded with an honorary medallion, a certificate, and pin, on May 17, 2010, during AAWRE's annual Diplomate Induction Ceremony at the 2010 EWRI World Environmental & Water Resources Congress in Providence, RI.

Mr. Mukuteswara Gopalakrishnan, Hon.D.WRE is the Secretary General of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) since 1 January 2004. He had served earlier in various senior and responsible high positions in Government of India. He retired on 31 January 2003 as a Member of the India's apex technical organisation, the Central Water Commission (CWC) which was of the status of an Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to Govt. of India (GoI). Mr. Gopalakrishnan served as the Coordinator of a Government of India's multi-disciplinary high level Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers in 2003 to advise them on this project in all its facets and submit action plans. He was primarily responsible to draft them, process in the Task Force and submit them to GoI for its consideration two Action Plans on Interlinking of Rivers.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan had held the position of the President of the Indian Water Resources Society during 2005-09 (two successive two year terms); he is currently the President of the New Delhi Associate Centre of World Water Council (since 2005). Besides being an active office bearer of ICID as its Secretary General, his association with several other Professional Societies and UN Water systems are rich. He is an active Member of International Water Resources Association, ICOLD to mention a few. He served as a Governor of the World Water Council during January 2004 till March 2006. He is a Fellow of the Indian Institution of Engineers since 1980, was the Co-Chairman of its special Committee on Interlinking of Indian Rivers (2004-09). He is a Life Member of several Professional Bodies in India - like the Indian Water Resources Society (IWRS), the Indian Geotechnical Engineering Society (IGES), Indian Society of Earthquake Engineering (ISET) , Indian Society for Tunnelling Technology (ISTT), Indian Association of Hydrologists (IAH) etc. He serves several other Expert Committees: Tehri Hydro Corporation and also in several other upcoming hydro projects in Himalayas being developed in public as well as private sectors in India.

Engr. Gopalakrishnan's professional contributions were significant in his career in Central water Commission in India. He was responsible for designs of over 100 Water Resources Development Projects in the decades when Government investment in the development of Irrigation and Power Sector was sizeable and CWC performed the role of Design Consultants also. His designs covered quite a few World Class Projects. These, inter-alia, include the 262 m. high Tehri Dam, 315 m., Indo-Nepal's Pancheshwar Dam in conception. He was responsible for Nepal's Karnali Project Design review in 1990s from Indian Government. He spearheaded the investigation and Project Report formulation for Sankosh project in Bhutan (1995) (4000MW). He is a member in the Committee on Seismicity and Chairman of the INCOLD Committee on this subject.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan had been a member of Indian team of the Indus Commission on Projects and had associated himself with bilateral discussions with Pakistan in the periods between 1996 to 2002. He also was involved in India's bilateral discussions with Nepal, Bhutan and Bagladesh on water resources sharing and water projects with common interests.

Engr. M. Gopalakrishnan has a fair appreciation of global issues and problems related to water sector. He had visited over 45 countries covering all the continents for participating in International Seminars and invited lectures etc. For six years, he served in Africa in River Basin Development Authority (Nigeria 1977-1984).

Mr. Gopalakrishnan is responsible to render support to International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage and coordinate over 31 workbodies' activities, liaison with other leading International Water Association. He is the Secretary of International Water-related Association Liaison Committee (IWALC) - an assembly of nearly 10 International Water Associations. Mr. Gopalakrishnan had produced about 100 papers on topics of Water Resources Engineering covering different aspects and perspectives and delivered numerous invited talks, chaired several technical sessions in international meets and conferences relating to water.

Engr. M. Gopalakrishnan (born 28.1.1943) holds Master of Engineering (Honours) in Water Resources Development from University of Roorkee (now, IIT-R). His remarkable academic performance yielded him both Khosla Gold Medal and University Gold Medal for the top position in both P.G.Dip (Hons) and M.E levels with record breaking scores. He has over four decades of rich experience in the field of Water Resources Development and Management in India and abroad.

Mr. Gopalakrishnan responded with the following upon news of his recognition as an Honorary Diplomate:

I consider it my privilege to commend the founding members and team that stood behind the creation of the laudable initiative AAWRE. Your efforts to widen it, increase its visibility, and to ensure a reach to engineers globally deserves encouragement and praise I am humbled by my recognition as an Honorary Diplomate of the AAWRE. It is indeed a great privilege and honor for me. Thank you very much.