Reported by Roopak Goswami
Guwahati: The Centre on Tuesday launched a nationwide State Water Reforms Framework (SWRF) while outlining an ambitious roadmap to transform the Brahmaputra Board into a technology-driven river basin organisation for the Northeast and West Bengal.
The announcements were made during the 14th High-Powered Review Board (HPRB) meeting of the Brahmaputra Board chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil in Guwahati.
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary, senior officials from northeastern states, technical experts and stakeholders attended the meeting, which focused on river basin management, flood control and long-term water governance in the region.
Launching the SWRF, Patil said water security would play a central role in achieving the vision of “Viksit Bharat @2047” and stressed that sustainable water management requires strong governance systems, institutional reforms, technology integration and community participation.
A major focus of the meeting was the Brahmaputra Board’s ongoing transition into a modern River Basin Organization (RBO) driven by digital governance, scientific planning and advanced technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, LiDAR and hydrological modelling.
Officials informed the meeting that 76 river basins and sub-basins covering the Brahmaputra and Barak river systems have been identified for preparation and updation of masterplans.
The Board reviewed several flood management, anti-erosion, drainage development and water conservation projects underway across Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura in coordination with respective state governments.
The meeting also discussed restructuring the Brahmaputra Board to strengthen specialised technical units, improve coordination and introduce greater transparency through digital governance reforms.
In another significant development, the Board reviewed a proposed revitalisation plan for the North Eastern Hydraulic and Allied Research Institute (NEHARI) aimed at expanding hydraulic research, technical consultancy and capacity-building activities in the Northeast. Plans for redeveloping the Brahmaputra Board office complex at Basistha in Guwahati into a modern institutional campus were also discussed.
The programme additionally highlighted indigenous water conservation systems of the Northeast through the release of books and documentaries on traditional water management practices, including Assam’s Dong irrigation system, Meghalaya’s bamboo drip irrigation and Arunachal Pradesh’s paddy-cum-fishery model.
The newly launched SWRF includes 75 reform indicators across policy, digitalisation, infrastructure, research and community participation, and aims to encourage states and Union Territories to adopt measurable reforms in groundwater regulation, floodplain zoning, wastewater reuse, dam safety and river basin planning.
The framework gives states until December 31, 2026, to undertake reforms and submit responses under the benchmarking exercise by January 31, 2027.