Gauhati University Hosts Consultative Workshop on the Assam State Water Resources Assessment Report

Guwahati, July 17: The Centre for Brahmaputra Studies (CBS), Gauhati University, today organised a One-Day Consultative Workshop on the Assam State Water Resources Assessment (SWRA) Report at the Vice-Chancellor's Conference Room. The workshop brought together senior University officials, faculty members from multiple departments, and a team from the Flood and River Erosion Management Agency of Assam (FREMAA), to review and discuss the findings of the SWRA Report ahead of its finalisation.

The programme opened with the Gauhati University anthem, followed by a welcome address by Prof. Utpal Sarma, Registrar, Gauhati University. Delivering the opening remarks, Prof. Nani Gopal Mahanta, Hon'ble Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University, underscored the importance of the workshop and the University's role in supporting evidence-based water governance for the state.

“The Brahmaputra is not merely a subject of study for this University — it is the lifeline of this region, and everything we do at the Centre for Brahmaputra Studies is in service of understanding it better. The SWRA Report is one of the first serious attempts to bring together the scientific, socio-economic and administrative picture of our water resources into a single evidence base, and I want to thank FREMAA and the Water Resources Department for this collaboration. I would urge everyone in this room to engage candidly, because what emerges from today's discussion will directly inform a policy document that will shape decisions for years to come,” said Prof. Mahanta.

This was followed by a detailed presentation from the FREMAA team — led by Dr. Pratap Singh (Team Leader), Dr. Jyoti Nale (Deputy Team Leader), Bhaskar Jyoti Das (Chief Technical Officer), Rupak Kumar Mazumder (Advisor) — outlining the scope, methodology and key findings of the SWRA Report. The Report, developed under the World Bank-financed Assam Integrated River Basin Management Programme (AIRBMP), is envisaged as a flagship assessment of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Assam, bringing together the scientific, socio-economic, administrative and environmental baseline of the state's water resources to guide the forthcoming Assam State Water Policy.

The presentation was followed by an extended open discussion, moderated by Prof. Dhrubajyoti Sahariah, Director, Centre for Brahmaputra Studies and Professor, Department of Geography, Gauhati University. Participants examined the Report's findings across its five thematic areas — water resources, flooding and erosion, economic uses of water, cultural and livelihood dependence on the river system, and water and environment — and offered feedback intended to strengthen the Report before its finalization.

Discussion points raised by participants included: the need for a functional transboundary hydrological data-sharing mechanism covering upstream flows from China, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh; the gap between structural flood-control investment and the more cost-effective non-structural measures highlighted in the Report; the disproportionate flood and erosion exposure faced by Char-dwelling communities and the case for stronger social protection frameworks for them; the loss of wetland and floodplain connectivity and its cascading impact on fisheries and groundwater recharge; and the low level of irrigation coverage across the state and its implications for smallholder farmers. Several participants also underlined the importance of formally incorporating cultural and livelihood water values into future allocation decisions.

Faculty members from a wide range of departments — including Geological Sciences, Botany, Anthropology, Environmental Science, Geography, Business Administration, Chemistry, Sociology, Zoology and Folklore Studies — participated in the deliberations, reflecting the multidisciplinary character of the Centre for Brahmaputra Studies. 

The event concluded with remarks by Prof. Bhaben Tanti, Director, MMTTC, Gauhati University, who reflected on the outcomes of the day's deliberations, followed by a vote of thanks proposed by Dr. Meghna Choudhury of the Centre for Brahmaputra Studies.

The SWRA Report is being developed in three parts — a Technical Baseline Report, the SWRA Report itself, and a Policy Makers' Summary — and is scheduled for completion following further stakeholder consultation. Today's workshop forms part of that consultative process, ahead of the Report's use as a foundational document for the Assam State Water Policy.