CR Paatil to chair all-India water, flood management conference on Monday
Synopsis
Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil is set to chair a high-level all-India conference of water resource secretaries on Monday, with dam safety deadlines, flood management overhauls, and the CatchTheRain Campaign all on the agenda — a rare single-day convergence of Centre and state water policy at the senior-most level.
Key Takeaways
CR Paatil will chair the All-India Conference of Senior Most Secretaries of Water Resources Departments at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi on 14 July 2025 .
The conference covers eight priority agenda items including dam safety, flood management project guidelines, and irrigation census progress.
States must complete Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations (CDSE) under the Dam Safety Act, 2021 by December 2026 .
The #CatchTheRain Campaign — a special one-month nationwide initiative — will be discussed to boost community participation in water conservation.
CWC , NDSA , NWM , and senior officials from all states and Union Territories will participate.
Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil will on Monday, 14 July 2025, chair the All-India Conference of Senior Most Secretaries of Water Resources Departments of states and Union Territories at Chanakya Hall, Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi. The conference will take up water and flood management projects, dam safety, and the #CatchTheRain Campaign as its central agenda.
Key Agenda Items
Discussions will span eight priority agenda items, covering the modernisation of command area development, revised project appraisal guidelines for irrigation, multipurpose and flood management projects, and the rule curves of dam reservoirs for improved reservoir operations. The conference will also review the State Water Reforms Framework (SWRF) and the completion of Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations (CDSE) under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, with a deadline of December 2026.
Progress of Irrigation Censuses across states and Union Territories, and the framework for a Model State Water Awards scheme, are also on the table. The Special One-Month Nationwide #CatchTheRain Campaign — aimed at strengthening public participation in water conservation — will receive dedicated attention.
Who Is Attending
Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, and V.L. Kantha Rao of the River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation department will also attend. Senior officials from all states and Union Territories, alongside representatives from the Central Water Commission (CWC), National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), and National Water Mission (NWM), are expected to participate.
Why This Conference Matters
The conference is organised by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It forms part of the Ministry's ongoing drive to strengthen Centre-state policy coordination, improve institutional capacity, and accelerate reforms in the water sector. This comes amid growing concerns over erratic monsoon patterns and recurring flood damage across multiple Indian states.
Notably, the forum will also serve as a platform for states and Union Territories to share implementation challenges and evolve coordinated strategies — a mechanism that officials say is critical for translating national water policy into ground-level outcomes.
What Happens Next
The outcomes of the conference are expected to feed into revised project implementation frameworks and updated dam safety protocols. With the December 2026 CDSE deadline approaching, states will be under pressure to accelerate dam safety evaluations. The Ministry's focus on community participation through the CatchTheRain Campaign signals a push to complement infrastructure investment with behavioural change at the grassroots level.
Point of View
With many states yet to complete structural evaluations of ageing dams. Flood management project appraisal guidelines are being revised at a time when monsoon unpredictability is straining reservoir operations. The CatchTheRain Campaign's inclusion alongside hard infrastructure items signals the Ministry knows that engineering alone cannot solve India's water crisis — but whether community participation translates into measurable outcomes remains an open question that past campaigns have not convincingly answered.
NationPress
13 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the All-India Conference of Senior Most Secretaries of Water Resources Departments?
It is a national-level meeting convened by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, bringing together the top water resources officials from all states and Union Territories to review major national programmes, coordinate policy, and address implementation challenges in the water sector.
What is the #CatchTheRain Campaign?
The #CatchTheRain Campaign is a nationwide initiative by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to strengthen public participation in rainwater conservation and harvesting. A special one-month edition of the campaign is among the eight agenda items at the 14 July conference.
What is the December 2026 dam safety deadline?
Under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, all states are required to complete Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations (CDSE) of their dams by December 2026. The conference will review progress and discuss implementation challenges states are facing.
Who will attend the 14 July water conference in New Delhi?
Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil will chair the conference, with Minister of State Raj Bhushan Choudhary and senior official V.L. Kantha Rao also attending. Officials from all states and Union Territories, plus bodies like the CWC, NDSA, and NWM, will participate.
Why is Centre-state coordination on water resources important?
Water management in India involves concurrent jurisdiction, making coordination between the Centre and states critical for implementing national programmes like dam safety evaluations, irrigation modernisation, and flood management. The conference aims to resolve policy gaps and accelerate reforms that require both central funding and state-level execution.
