Brahmaputra Board panel to discuss flood control, restructuring measures in Guwahati

The High-Powered Review Board (HPRB) of the Brahmaputra Board will hold its 14th meeting in Guwahati on May 19 to review the progress of river basin management initiatives and chart the Board’s future course.
Union Minister for Jal Shakti C. R. Paatil will chair the meeting. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary are also expected to attend, along with senior officials from the Centre and the North Eastern States, technical experts and other stakeholders.
The meeting comes in the wake of the recent reconstitution of the review board, which has expanded its membership to include Sikkim and West Bengal.
Officials said the review assumes significance as the Brahmaputra Board continues its transition into a knowledge-based River Basin Organisation. The Board has been undertaking projects across the North Eastern region and West Bengal in areas such as river basin masterplan preparation, flood and erosion management, springshed rejuvenation, drainage development, digital transformation and institutional reforms.
The meeting will review the implementation of decisions taken during the previous HPRB meeting and assess the overall functioning of the Board.
Discussions are also expected on organisational restructuring, reforms in masterplan preparation, the revitalisation of the North Eastern Hydraulic and Allied Research Institute (NEHARI), redevelopment of the Board’s office complex at Basistha, and measures to strengthen digital governance.
Books and documentaries documenting traditional water management practices in North East India are also scheduled to be released during the event.