South Asia Water Analysis Network (SAWAN)

Collaboration of CMC and ICIMOD

The Cooperative Monitoring Centre (CMC) Of Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico initiated a project in 1999 for sharing environmental information as a means of building trust and confidence and promoting regional cooperation in South Asia. The aim of the project is to focus on activities that foster regional sharing of water quality data along trans boundary sections of Ganges and Indus river basins. In April 2004, the CMC initiated collaboration with the International Centre for mountain Development (ICIMOD) on this project. The main objective of this collaboration is to broaden the scope of work on regional cooperation in Hindu Kush Himalayan region to include water quality, and related information exchange. As part of the project a website called the South Asia Water Analysis Network (SAWAN), was developed by CMC, which is to serve as a model and a prototype node of water quality data and information sharing network in the region. Currently, the website is being relocated from the CMC to the ICIMOD.

The activities foreseen under this collaboration effort include:

1. SAWAN website and database transfer from CMC to ICIMOD
2. Operation and upgrade of the SAWAN website and database
3. Expand SAWAN partners and organize an integrated workshop on water quality
4. Further development of the project by adding additional countries, sampling locations, and monitoring parameters

Short Profiles of CMC and ICIMOD

Cooperative Monitoring Centre (CMC)
The Cooperative Monitoring Centre (CMC) is located at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA and is primarily sponsored by the U.S Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S Department of State (DOS). The CMC promotes collaborations among scientists and researchers as a means of helping secure a peaceful world through technology. In order to promote regional cooperation on environmental research, CMC has initiated a project to measure and monitor environmental parameters. The CMC and Sandia National Laboratories have significant technical expertise that can be applied to cooperative environmental monitoring projects including high-resolution remote sensing, data transmission and security, computer modelling, data management and decision support tools, and the infrastructure to support cooperative monitoring efforts. The CMC works with other entities including the US Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Reclamation, and numerous universities, and local and state governments.

The data on water quality of River Ravi is being updated on :
http://www.sa-env.cmc.sandia.gov