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Water Secretaries Meet To Boost Centre-State Coordination On Water Projects

V. L. Kantha Rao, Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, chaired a regional conference with water secretaries from southern states and union territories. The meeting aimed to review ongoing schemes, understand state-level concerns, and discuss inter-state water matters. Key discussions included flood forecasting, sediment management, salinity ingress, and implementation of the Dam Safety Act. The Secretary emphasized timely project completion and called for states to participate in reforming schemes for the next financial cycle.

Key Points: Regional Water Secretaries Conference Chaired in Telangana

  • Review of ongoing water schemes
  • Addressing inter-state water matters
  • Focus on flood forecasting & dam safety
  • Strengthening Centre-State partnerships
2 min read

Secretary, DoWR, RD & GR V L Kantha Rao Chairs Regional Conference of State Water Secretaries in Telangana

Senior officials from Southern states & UTs met to review water schemes, discuss flood forecasting, dam safety, and improve Centre-State coordination.

"reduce the gaps in Centre-state coordination to ensure time-bound progress of priority works - V. L. Kantha Rao"

New Delhi, March 26

V. L. Kantha Rao, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, chaired the Regional State Water Secretaries Conference held at Dr. MCR HRD Institute of Telangana which brought together senior officers from the Water Resources Departments of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands together at a single platform to discuss wide array of matters about the water sector.

According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, officials of DoWR, RD&GR, New Delhi and 15 heads of major organisations of the department participated in the day-long conference.

Key objectives of the conference encompassed review of the implementation of ongoing schemes of the department in the participating States/UTs; works done by the organizations of the Department in these States, understanding concerns of the States/UTs with respect to ongoing schemes/projects and inter -state matters; and detailed deliberations on these aspects to further strengthen thrust areas of Centre-State co-ordination and partnerships.

During the conference, State Govt. officials illustrated the scheme implementation status, expectations from the Government of India and related bottlenecks in respective states/UTs in the field of water resources.

The Secretary, DoWR, RD & GR, underpinned the need for timely completion of ongoing projects and to reduce the gaps in Centre-state coordination to ensure time-bound progress of priority works. He called upon the States/UTs to participate in the revision and reformation of schemes of DoWR, RD &GR for next FC cycle.

Apart from the regular ongoing schemes, discussions also took place on Flood forecasting activities and the adoption of advisories issued by the DoWR, RD & GR by the States/UTs on Sediment Management, Salinity Ingress in Coastal areas, implementation of the provisions of the Dam Safety Act, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari, among others. Participating states/UTs were requested to streamline the implementation of these critical advisories on a priority basis.

In his concluding remarks, the Secretary reiterated the significance of the meeting in formulating and executing integrated strategies for sustainable and effective development of water resources in the region. He reaffirmed the department's commitment to providing comprehensive support for the planning, development, and management of water resources projects/schemes across the Country.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone who has worked in development, Centre-State coordination is often the biggest bottleneck. Timely completion of projects mentioned by the Secretary is key. But will there be a transparent mechanism to track these "priority works"? Public dashboards would build trust.
P
Priyanka N
Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari is a great initiative! Water conservation cannot happen without public participation. Hope they discussed how to effectively involve gram panchayats and local communities, especially in drought-prone areas of Karnataka and Telangana.
R
Rahul R
All these conferences sound good on paper. The real test is on the ground. In my village in Odisha, the irrigation project has been "ongoing" for 5 years. Hope they addressed such delays and the accountability of contractors.
A
Anjali F
Including Lakshadweep and Andaman is important! Their water security challenges are unique due to geography. Salinity ingress and sustainable sourcing are existential issues there. Glad they are at the table.
D
David E
Sediment management and flood forecasting are technical but vital areas. With increasing extreme weather events, adopting these advisories on priority can save lives and property. Stronger inter-state data sharing is needed for effective basin management.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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