Guwahati (Assam) [India], May 20 (ANI): The 14th Meeting of the High-Powered Review Board (HPRB) of the Brahmaputra Board was held on Tuesday at Guwahati beneath the chairmanship of Union Minister of Jal Shakti, CR Patil.
According to an official assertion, Union Cabinet Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of State Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, together with different Ministers, senior officers from the Centre and the North Eastern States, technical consultants and stakeholders attended the assembly to overview the progress of river basin administration initiatives and supply strategic steering for the longer term roadmap of the Brahmaputra Board.
Calling it a ‘golden alternative’ to utilise the rivers in Northeastern area, Union Minister Sonowal mentioned, ‘This is a golden alternative for us as a result of by way of Brahmaputra Board, the utilisation of our river system within the northeastern area, from the mode of transportation to the perfect presentation of our initiatives – all of those had been mentioned right now. Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil organised this. I thank him particularly for this.’
On the event, the Union Minister for Jal Shakti additionally launched the State Water Reforms Framework (SWRF), a landmark nationwide initiative geared toward strengthening water governance reforms throughout States and Union Territories.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister emphasised that water safety is central to India’s improvement journey and a key pillar for reaching the imaginative and prescient of Viksit Bharat 2047.
He said that sustainable water administration requires not solely infrastructure creation, but in addition sturdy governance methods, sound insurance policies, sturdy establishments, technological innovation and neighborhood participation.
As per the discharge, the HPRB assembly reviewed the progress of the Brahmaputra Board within the areas of river basin administration, preparation and updation of masterplans, flood and erosion administration, springshed rejuvenation, digital transformation, capability constructing and institutional reforms. The HPRB appreciated the numerous progress achieved by the Board over the past two years in strengthening built-in river basin planning and increasing technical help actions throughout the North Eastern Region and West Bengal.
During the assembly, detailed discussions had been held on the preparation and updation of river basin masterplans utilizing superior applied sciences similar to GIS, distant sensing, LiDAR and hydrological modelling.
The Board knowledgeable {that a} whole of 76 river basins and sub-basins have now been recognized for preparation and updation of masterplans masking the Brahmaputra and Barak basins, mentioned the discharge.
The HPRB additionally reviewed varied ongoing and proposed initiatives associated to flood administration, anti-erosion works, drainage improvement, springshed administration and water conservation initiatives in numerous states of the North Eastern Region. The Board highlighted main interventions being undertaken in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura in coordination with the respective State Governments.
As per the press launch, the assembly deliberated upon the transformation of the Brahmaputra Board into a contemporary, technology-driven and knowledge-based River Basin Organization (RBO).
In this regard, coverage and strategic steering was supplied on organisational restructuring, strengthening of specialized technical models, digital governance initiatives and institutional reforms for enhancing effectivity, transparency and coordination.
The HPRB additionally reviewed the proposed revitalisation plan of the North Eastern Hydraulic and Allied Research Institute (NEHARI) to strengthen analysis, hydraulic research, technical consultancy and capability constructing actions within the area.
Discussions had been additionally held concerning the redevelopment of the Brahmaputra Board Office Complex at Basistha, Guwahati into a contemporary institutional campus aligned with future necessities, mentioned the discharge.
As a part of the programme, the next books and documentaries on conventional water administration practices of North East India had been formally launched: Traditional Water Management Practices of Northeast India – Resource Book, Traditional Water Management Practices of Northeast India – Picture Book, Paddy-cum-Fishery (Arunachal Pradesh) – Documentary, Dong System (Assam) – Documentary, Bamboo Drip Irrigation (Meghalaya) – Documentary, Bamboo Drip Irrigation (Meghalaya) – Documentary, Rainwater Harvesting (Mizoram) – Documentary.
As per the discharge, the HPRB appreciated the efforts of the Brahmaputra Board in documenting indigenous and sustainable water administration practices of the area and emphasised the significance of integrating conventional information with trendy river basin administration approaches.
The State Water Reforms Framework (SWRF), launched through the programme, is a reform-oriented governance framework developed by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to encourage and benchmark progressive water sector reforms throughout States and Union Territories.
Embodying the spirit of cooperative federalism, the Framework has been designed in session with States and UTs, recognising water as a shared nationwide useful resource that calls for collective possession, collaborative governance and joint accountability between the Centre and States and UTs, mentioned the discharge.
The framework includes 75 indicators throughout 5 dimensions, together with Policy and Regulation, Project Monitoring, Digitalisation & R&D, Infrastructure, and Community Engagement. By establishing a clear, evidence-based benchmarking system throughout these dimensions, SWRF concurrently harnesses the facility of aggressive federalism by enabling States and UTs to be taught from one another’s greatest practices, measure their efficiency in opposition to friends and attempt for excellence in water governance.
This wholesome competitors amongst States is predicted to speed up reforms, drive innovation and lift the general normal of water administration throughout the nation.
According to the discharge, the framework seeks to encourage States and UTs to undertake measurable and verifiable reforms in essential areas similar to groundwater regulation, floodplain zoning, wastewater reuse, dam security, participatory irrigation administration, river basin planning, information integration and institutional strengthening.
It seeks to help States/UTs in figuring out coverage gaps, enterprise measurable reforms and adopting greatest practices for constructing resilient, accountable and water-secure governance methods aligned with the imaginative and prescient of Viksit Bharat 2047.
The launch of the Framework offers the States/UTs a complicated interval of seven months, until thirty first December 2026, to undertake key reforms and supply responses on the indications by thirty first January 2027.
The assembly concluded with a collective dedication in direction of strengthening inter-state coordination, sustainable river basin administration and long-term water useful resource planning for the North Eastern Region and West Bengal. (ANI)