The Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute (MERI) was established in the year 1959. It is the prime institute of Maharashtra state under Water Resources Department. It is entrusted with the work of applied research in various disciplines of civil engineering like soil mechanics, construction material studies, testing, highway, coastal, remote sensing & GIS, seismology, hydraulic model studies, reservoir sedimentation studies etc.
It is largely dealing with field problems of applied research pertaining to various projects. Being the state research institute, its jurisdiction is spread over the entire Maharashtra state covering the water resources and public works Department while under taking research studies, their application in the field are concerned. In addition to self-sponsored research and works referred by the field officers, the institute tackles research problem sponsored by the central government through the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP), Minstry of water resources (MoWR) and Ministry of Surface transport (MOST), Indian National Committee on hydraulic research (INCH), Department of Science & technology (DST) etc. In addition to this, testing of all construction material, soils and water quality etc. is also done by the institute. The institute also works as a nodal agency for Earthquake monitoring for Maharashtra State. The institute also undertakes consultancy works for other states, other departments of GoM, Local bodies and private agencies.
The nine divisions working in the institute are as follows-
- Hydrodynamics Research Division No - I
- Reservoir Sedimentation Survey Division
- Structural Research & Physics Division
- Soil Mechanics Division
- Remote Sensing & Geoinformatics Division
- Material Testing Division
- Instrumentation Research Division
- Highway Research Division
- Seismic Data Analysis Division