In the beginning of the 20th century, the need for small scale laboratory investigations to study the twin problems of irrigation and drainage was recognised by the Government. The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, as it is known today, was established in 1916 by the then Bombay Presidency as a "Special Irrigation Cell" with a limited mandate to modify irrigation practice to meet agricultural requirements. Recognising its role in the systematic study of various phases of water flow, including floods, the institution was taken over by the Government of India in 1936. With the dawn of independence and launching of planned development of the nation's water resources, CWPRS became the principal central agency to cater to the R&D needs of projects in the fields of water and energy resources development and water-borne transport.