Water Resources Division

Establishment of Water Resources Department, Vision, Mission and Functions

1. Water Resources Department is the Nodal Department of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh for Water Resources Management. The Government of Arunachal Pradesh considering the enormous and recurrent flood and erosion problems in the state and the importance of irrigation, established the Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FCD) in the year 1995, which was a long standing need and demand of the people of Arunachal Pradesh in particular and the North-East India, in general. And today, from the year 2006, I&FCD has been renamed as Water Resources Department.
2. The vision for flood and erosion management of WRD is:
   • ‘Holistic approach on flood and erosion management aspects to be conceived. This would include structural and non-structural measures suiting to the local conditions of the area. Basin wise approach with compartmentalized micro basin concept has to be taken into consideration’ and
   • To provide assured irrigation to all culturable command areas with proper water management and distribution for maximizing crop productivity with participatory.
3. The vision is that WRD will become a professionally competent, efficient and effective key public sector unit based upon the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management, Watershed Management, Disaster Risks Management and People’s Participation for performing the inter-related and complementary functions of:
   • Developing, implementing and monitoring a comprehensive set of measures to reduce the vast and increasing level of damage from flood and vulnerability to flooding.
   • Developing, implementing and monitoring a comprehensive set of measures to use the irrigation potential.
   • Providing as nodal agency, technical and institutional support to strengthen local government institutions and serving local communities and other stake holders in ensuring effective risk management and irrigation facilities.
4. The mission of WRD is freeing the State from the miseries of flooding and river erosion by providing a stable, predictable physical environment that will contribute to reducing poverty, increasing farm production, improving the socio-economic and environment conditions and acting as an agent change at the local level by its participatory and river basin wide approach through:
   • Containment of massive flood and river erosion damages.
   • Provision of assured irrigation to all cultivable command areas with proper water management.
   • Reduction of direct financial pressure on poor people.
   • Reduction of pressure on forest lands.
5. As per the Business of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh Allocation Rules, the Department is entrusted with the following functions:
   • Nodal Department for Water Resources Management, Survey and Investigation of major water resources in the state and planning for its utilization.
   • Construction, operation and maintenance of Major, Medium and Minor irrigation works;
   • Flood Control and construction of flood protection works and maintenance thereof including Training of works;
   • Command Area Development and related works;
   • Land protection for agriculture purposes;
   • Watershed Management;
   • Construction of development buildings/approach roads to Water Resources Department’s complexes;
   • Plasticulture in irrigation;
   • Establishing of participatory organizations in Irrigation Management with particular reference to Command Area Development;
   • Exploitation of ground water for irrigation. Acquisition and deployment of pump sets, drilling machines, rigs for irrigation purposes;
   • Pricing of irrigation water. Evaluation of mechanism for self managed Command Areas;
   • River Basin Management; and
   • Liaison with the Arunachal Pradesh Water Resources Regulatory Authority.
6. The Department has been entrusted and designated as the Nodal Agency for the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojya (PMKSY) Programme for the State of Arunachal Pradesh.

List of Staffs