Guwahati (PTI): The State Water Reforms Framework (SWRF), a national initiative aimed at strengthening water governance reforms across states and union territories, was launched here by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil.
The launch was done during the 14th Meeting of the High-Powered Review Board (HPRB) of the Brahmaputra Board under Patil’s chairmanship.
Union Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, MoS for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary, along with other ministers, senior officials from the Central government and the North Eastern states, technical experts and stakeholders attended the meeting to review the progress of river basin management initiatives and provide strategic guidance for the future roadmap of the Brahmaputra Board.
Addressing the gathering, Patil emphasised that water security is central to India’s development journey and a key pillar for achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat in 2047.
He said that sustainable water management requires not only infrastructure creation but also robust governance systems, sound policies, strong institutions, technological innovation and community participation.
The SWRF is a reform-oriented governance framework developed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to encourage and benchmark progressive water sector reforms across states and UTs.
Embodying the spirit of cooperative federalism, the framework has been designed in consultation with states and UTs, recognising water as a shared national resource that demands collective ownership, collaborative governance and joint accountability.
The framework comprises 75 indicators across five dimensions, including policy and regulation, project monitoring, digitalisation and R&D, infrastructure, and community engagement.
By establishing a transparent, evidence-based benchmarking system across these dimensions, SWRF will enable states and UTs to learn from each other’s best practices, measure their performance against peers and strive for excellence in water governance.
The framework will encourage states and UTs to undertake measurable and verifiable reforms in critical areas such as groundwater regulation, floodplain zoning, wastewater reuse, dam safety, participatory irrigation management, river basin planning, data integration and institutional strengthening.
The launch of the framework gives the states/UTs an advance period of seven months, till December 31, 2026, to undertake key reforms and provide responses on the indicators by January 31, 2027.
Meanwhile, the HPRB meeting reviewed the progress of the Brahmaputra Board in the areas of river basin management, preparation and updation of masterplans, flood and erosion management, springshed rejuvenation, digital transformation, capacity building and institutional reforms.
The HPRB appreciated the significant progress achieved by the board over the last two years in strengthening integrated river basin planning and expanding technical support activities across the North Eastern region and West Bengal.
During the meeting, detailed discussions were held on the preparation and updation of river basin master plans using advanced technologies such as GIS, remote sensing, LiDAR and hydrological modelling.
The board said that a total of 76 river basins and sub-basins have now been identified for preparation and updation of master plans covering the Brahmaputra and Barak basins.
The HPRB also reviewed various ongoing and proposed projects related to flood management, anti-erosion works, drainage development, springshed management and water conservation initiatives in different states of the North Eastern region.
The board highlighted major interventions being undertaken in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura in coordination with the respective state governments.
The meeting deliberated upon the transformation of the Brahmaputra Board into a modern, technology-driven and knowledge-based River Basin Organisation (RBO).
In this regard, policy and strategic guidance was provided on organisational restructuring, strengthening of specialised technical units, digital governance initiatives and institutional reforms for improving efficiency, transparency and coordination.
The HPRB also reviewed the proposed revitalisation plan of the North Eastern Hydraulic and Allied Research Institute (NEHARI) to strengthen research, hydraulic studies, technical consultancy and capacity building activities in the region.
Discussions were also held regarding the redevelopment of the Brahmaputra Board Office Complex at Basistha, Guwahati, into a modern institutional campus aligned with future requirements.
As part of the programme, several books and documentaries on traditional water management practices of the North East region were also officially released.
Source: https://tinyurl.com/uxjy9hwn
