Drona Khurana
Scientist 'B'
Hydrological Investigation Division,
C-222, Lab Block II, Jalvigyan Bhawan, NIH Roorkee
About
Er. Drona Khurana is a Civil Engineer with a Master’s degree in Hydrology from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. His academic training and professional interests are centred around understanding hydrological processes at multiple scales, and modelling watershed systems to explore the interconnectedness of various systems. He is currently associated with the Hydrological Investigations Division at NIH Roorkee, where the primary focus is on Isotope Hydrology. Through his work, he has developed a strong conceptual foundation in isotope-based approaches for investigating hydrological processes.
With over twelve years of experience spanning technical and scientific support roles, he has wide hands-on exposure to water quality assessment, glacial field expeditions, hydrological modelling, and springshed studies. Rather than being confined to a single niche, his strength lies in functioning as a hydrology generalist.
Prior to his joining the institute, he gained professional experience as a Civil Engineer in organizations including Indian Railways, Highlands Infotech Pvt. Ltd., and Ashiana Housing Ltd. This early exposure provided him with a strong grounding in applied engineering practices and project-oriented workflows, which continues to inform his approach to hydrological investigations.
Academic Qualifications
| Degree | Subject | University | Year |
| Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) |
Civil Engineering |
Amity University Uttar Pradesh |
2014 |
| Post Graduate Diploma in Management (2 years) |
Finance |
Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad |
2019 |
| Master of Technology |
Hydrology (Watershed Management) |
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee |
2025 |
Experience
- 02/02/2026 - Present | Scientist 'B' (National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee)
- 01/12/2022 - 01/02/2026 | Principal Research Assistant (PRA) (National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee)
- 31/10/2017 - 30/11/2022 | Senior Research Assistant (SRA) (National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee)
- 05/02/2016 - 30/10/2017 | Junior Engineer (Permanent Way) (Indian Railways (Northern Railway))
- 16/06/2014 - 25/03/2015 | Assistant Engineer (Development) (Ashiana Housing Ltd.)
Administrative Roles
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Member - Training Cell
(National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee)
20/06/2025 - Present
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Dy. OIC Hydro-Meteorological Observatory
(Western Himalayan Regional Centre, NIH, Jammu)
01/01/2020 - 21/07/2023
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Dy. OIC Soil Water Lab
(Western Himalayan Regional Centre, NIH, Jammu)
15/05/2018 - 21/07/2023
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Dy. OIC Remote Sensing & GIS Lab
(Western Himalayan Regional Centre, NIH, Jammu)
15/05/2018 - 21/07/2023
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Dy. OIC Water Quality Lab
(Western Himalayan Regional Centre, NIH, Jammu)
15/05/2018 - 21/07/2023
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Dy. OIC Civil Maintenance
(Western Himalayan Regional Centre, NIH, Jammu)
15/05/2018 - 21/07/2023
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Dy. OIC Electrical Maintenance
(Western Himalayan Regional Centre, NIH, Jammu)
15/05/2018 - 21/07/2023
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Dy. OIC Rajbhasha Prabhari
(Western Himalayan Regional Centre, NIH, Jammu)
15/05/2018 - 21/07/2023
Research Interest
Publications
International Journal
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Prioritization of Sub-Watersheds of a Western Himalayan Catchment Employing Morphological Derived Compound Index and Sediment Production Rate
G Raina, SS Rawat, D Khurana, P Prashar, R Sharma
(IJAMSR) ISSN: 2581-4281 Vol, 2018 (2019 )
National Journal
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जून 2013 में केदारनाथ घाटी मध्य हिमालय, भारत में आयी बाढ़ का समस्थानिक अध्ययन
राजीव सरन अहलुवालिया, एस पी राय, संजय कुमार जैन, द्रोण खुराना
सातवीं राष्ट्रीय जल संगोष्ठी - जलवायु परिवर्तन एवं जल प्रबंधन, 17-18 अगस्त 2023, राष्ट्रीय जलविज्ञान संस्थान, रुड़की (2023 )
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क्षेत्रीय जल की कमी के सतत समाधान हेतु जम्मू क्षेत्र के कंडी बेल्ट में तालाबों का जलविज्ञानीय अध्ययन - एक समीक्षा
द्रोण खुराना, डॉ. एस. एस. रावत, डॉ. एम. के. गोयल
छठवीं राष्ट्रीय जल संगोष्ठी - जल संसाधन एवं पर्यावरण, 16-17 दिसंबर 2019, राष्ट्रीय जलविज्ञान संस्थान, रुड़की (2019 )
Book Chapter
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GIS-Based Morphometric Analysis and Prioritization of Upper Ravi Catchment, Himachal Pradesh, India
Khurana D, Rawat SS, Raina G, Sharma R, Jose P.G
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering , Vol. 39, : Advances in Water Resources Engineering and Management, 978-981-13-8180-5, 464826_1_En, (13) published by Springer Singapore (2019 )
Technical Report
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Assessment of Hydrological Characteristics of a Western Himalayan River – A Case Study on River Ujh
Khurana D, Bisht DS, Jose PG, Rawat SS
WHRC, NIH (2021 )
International Conference
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Construction on Closed Landfill sites
Khurana D
Proceeding of 2nd National Conference on Trends and Recent Advances in Civil Engineering, Amity University, Noida, India (2012 )
National Conference
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हिमालयी जल स्रोतों के कुशल प्रबंधन एवं पुनारूधार के लिए वेब-जी आई एस आधारित सूचना प्रणाली
सोबन सिंह रावत, सुमन गुर्जर, दीपक सिंह बिष्ट, सुधीर कुमार, गिरीश रैना, द्रोण खुराना
गो. ब. प. राष्ट्रीय हिमालय पर्यावरण संस्स्थान द्वारा आयोजित राष्ट्रीय कार्यशाला (2022 )
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Geospatial Soil Mapping of Noida-Greater Noida region on GIS
Khurana D, Madhuri Kumari
Proceedings of the 8th Chandigarh Science Congress, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India (2014 )
Projects
Conference & Training
Training / Workshop / Brainstorming
Water-Related Disaster Risk Reduction in Western Himalayan Region (Co-Coordinator)
National
Duration: 26th February, 2021
Location: WHRC NIH, Jammu
Achievements
Honors & Awards
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MHRD GATE Qualified for Fellowship in 2014
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Achievers Award for Best in Technical Innovation
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Best Paper in 8th Chandigarh Science Conference, Panjab University Chandigarh
Student Guidance
Miscellaneous
Other Important Information
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Participated in two days training course on "Principles of Operation of Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer (IRMS)" held during 14-15th May, 2024 at NIH Roorkee
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Participated in training course on "Tools and Techniques for Hydrological Investigations" organized by National Institute of Hydrology during 11-15th March, 2024
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Participated in training course on "Application of Isotopes in Water Resources Investigations and Management" organized by National Institute of Hydrology during 15-20th January, 2024
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Attended training program through Distance Learning on "Introduction to Google Earth Engine and its applications in Water Resource Management" organized by National Water Academy (NWA), Pune during 16-23rd August, 2021
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Attended training program through Distance Learning on "Hydro Metrological Observation at Site" organized by National Water Academy (NWA), Pune during 19-30th July, 2021
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Online course on Water, Energy, Food Nexus organized by Himalayan University Consortium, ICIMOD, Kathmandu, Nepal from 19th May, 2020 to 4th June, 2020
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Attended 02 weeks training programme on “Hydrological Modelling using SWAT” organized by National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee during 20-31, May 2019
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Participated in 03 days training on “Assessment of Regional Hydrological Systems using Space borne Gravity Observations” at NGRI, Hyderabad under GRACE Project during 25th-27th November, 2019
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Participated in 05 days National level training on “Flood Risk Management and Water Sector DRR” organized by NIDM & NIH from 14th to 18th October, 2019
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Member of the organizing committee for 03 day training programme titled "Water Security: Best Practices for Conservation, Safety and Sustainability” sponsored by Communication and Capacity Development Unit (WSSO), Department of PHE, I&FC, Jammu and Kashmir and organised by National Institute of Hydrology, Western Himalayan Regional Centre (WHRC), Jammu during January 23-25, 2019
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Attended brainstorming session on Ground Water Development, Management and Local Issues organized by CGWB, Jammu, during 06-08 March,2019.
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Attended 05 days "Basic Training Programme for use of Hindi on Computer” by Central Hindi Training Institute, Dept of Official Language, Home Ministry Jammu , Rajbhasha Jammu, in Dec, 2018.
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Attended training on PFMS (Public Finance Management System), at National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee during May, 2018.