Contributions of Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Dr. M. S. Swaminathan in the fields of water engineering and agricultural

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was a civil engineer and statesman. He made contributions to several technical projects in his career in Hyderabad, Mysore, Maharashtra and Orissa. The Great KRS Dam was his excellent work instrumental in converting the barren lands into fertile grounds for farming. M.S. Swaminathan in the other hand is an advocate of moving India to sustainable development, especially using environmentally sustainable agriculture, sustainable food security and the preservation of biodiversity, which he calls as “evergreen revolution.” 

Following are the contributions of Sir M. Visvesvaraya in the fields of water engineering: 

• He is best remembered for the instrumental role he played in the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara Lake and dam in 1924. This dam not only became the main source of water for irrigation for the nearby areas, but was also the main source of drinking water for several cities.

• He had designed and patented a system of automatic weir water floodgates that were first installed in 1903 at Khadakvasla Reservoir near Pune. These gates were employed to raise flood supply level of storage in reservoir to the highest level likely to be attained without causing any damage to the dam. 

• Based on the success of these gates, the same system was installed at the Tigra Dam and Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) Dam in Mandya/Mysore, Karnataka. 

• He was one of the Chief Designing Engineers for bringing up a system for flood protection in Hyderabad. He played a key role in developing a system to protect Vishakapatnam port from sea erosion. 

• Visvesvaraya gave his valuable technical advice for the location of Mokama Bridge over Ganga in Bihar. 

Following are the contributions of Dr. M. S. Swaminathan in the fields of agricultural science: 

• Dr. Mankombu Sambasivam Swaminathan (M.S. Swaminathan) is a renowned Indian geneticist and administrator, who made a significant contribution in the success of India’s Green Revolution. 

• He was called Norman Borlaug of India. 

• Green Revolution went a long way in making India self-sufficient in wheat and rice production. 

• He introduced the Mexican semi-dwarf wheat plants as well as modern farming methods in India. 

• His research on potato genetics was successful in standardizing procedures for transferring genes from a wide range of wild species of Solanum to the cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum. 

• He also suggested that phonological changes in rice have resulted in the possibility of three harvests per year, in wheat the extended grain filling period was a result of phonological change. 

• Farmer field schools promoted by Swaminathan in the early seventies have demonstrated that empowered farmers with good understanding of the ecological systems and with sufficient access to the means of control have resulted in the precision agriculture and best ecological means that characterize the evergreen revolution. 

• He established the National Bureau of Plant, Animal, and Fish Genetic Resources of India. 

• He developed new and improved varieties of seeds, better farming methods, better soil and water management techniques. 

• He chaired National Commission for farmers laying out many recommendations to improve Farming and the condition of farmers in India. 

Sir M. Visvesvaraya as an engineer and an administrator, the kind of work which he has done will stand as an inspiration to many more generations to come. Swaminathan’s contribution in the field of agricultural science is pro-poor, pro-environment, pro-women and children and is a beacon for the development of agro-ecosystems that contribute to food and nutrition security, and empower farmers and their organizations.