All India Water Secretaries Conference In New Delhi 2026

By Vikas Sir, Founder & Senior Faculty – Cosmo Classes | 14 July 2026

The All India Water Secretaries' Conference was held in New Delhi on 13–14 July 2026 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. It brought together around 200 senior officials, including Secretaries from States and Union Territories, for discussions on water governance and resource management.

The conference was chaired by Union Minister for Jal Shakti C. R. Patil, with Minister of State Raj Bhushan Choudhary and Secretary V. L. Kantha Rao co-chairing. It covered eight priority agenda items including water conservation, dam safety, irrigation reforms, groundwater management, and the Catch the Rain 2026 campaign.

Three water management documents were released on 14 July 2026, including a City-level Action Plan for reuse of treated water for Varanasi and an O&M Manual for artificial recharge structures. States resolved to complete the Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation for all specified dams by December 2026 under the goal of "Jal Surakshit, Bharat Surakshit".

Exam Facts

• Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti, created in 2019.
• Chaired by: Union Minister C. R. Patil; MoS Raj Bhushan Choudhary co-chaired.
• Legal framework: Dam Safety Act, 2021 governs dam safety in India.
• Campaign: Catch the Rain — rainwater harvesting & groundwater recharge.
• Target: Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation for all specified dams by Dec 2026.

Conference at a Glance

India & Water Governance

The Ministry of Jal Shakti was created in 2019 by merging the water resources and drinking-water ministries. Water conservation measures like rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge, along with the Dam Safety Act, 2021, form the backbone of India's water resource management framework.

Practice Questions

Q1. The All India Water Secretaries' Conference 2026 was held under which ministry?
A) Ministry of Environment
B) Ministry of Jal Shakti
C) Ministry of Agriculture
D) Ministry of Rural Development

Q2. Who chaired the conference as Union Minister for Jal Shakti?
A) Raj Bhushan Choudhary
B) C. R. Patil
C) V. L. Kantha Rao
D) Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Q3. Which Act provides the statutory framework for dam safety in India?
A) Water Act, 1974
B) Dam Safety Act, 2021
C) Environment Protection Act, 1986
D) River Boards Act, 1956

Q4. The "Catch the Rain" campaign is associated with which activity?
A) Afforestation
B) Rainwater harvesting & groundwater recharge
C) Solar power
D) Coastal protection

Q5. A city-level action plan for reuse of treated water was released for which city?
A) Prayagraj
B) Varanasi
C) Kanpur
D) Lucknow

Q6. Consider the following statements about the Ministry of Jal Shakti:
1. It was created in 2019.
2. It was formed by merging water resources and drinking-water ministries.
3. Dam safety in India is governed by the Dam Safety Act, 2021.
Which of the statements are correct?
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

UPSC / RPSC Relevance

UPSC Prelims: Ministry of Jal Shakti, Dam Safety Act 2021, Catch the Rain campaign.

UPSC Mains – GS Paper II/III: water governance, resource management, cooperative federalism.

RPSC / SSC: current affairs on water schemes, ministries, and key legislation.

Mains Descriptive Question

(GS Paper III · 250 words · 15 marks) Effective water governance requires coordination between the Centre and States. In this context, discuss the significance of national platforms like the All India Water Secretaries' Conference.

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