Taking an important step towards permanent river management, the Union Minister of Water Power, Shri CR Patil presided over a high-level meeting on 24 July 2025 to review and strengthen the environmental flow of the Ganges and its tributaries. The meeting focused on assessing the effectiveness of the 2018 environmental flow notification and the need for scientific, inclusive and collaborative approach to protect the health of India’s river ecosystem.
The meeting was chaired by Union Minister CR Patil and attended by Mr. Rajiv Kumar Mittal, Director General of National Clean Ganga Mission (NMCG), NMCG, Central Institute of Water Sciences (NIH), IIT Roorkee and experts from other technical institutes.
The review was called to evaluate the progress of e-flow implementation in the Ganges Basin and its major tributaries and to find out whether the current structure needs an increase. With increasing challenges due to dams, pollution and excessive water use, especially in rivers such as Yamuna, protecting aquatic ecosystems and supporting dependent livelihood, water management strategies need to be re -arranged.
Patil underlined that the 2018 e-Flow notification was a historic decision, but now it is important to assess its real world influence. He emphasized the importance of developing an overall and scientific informed action plan to ensure uninterrupted and adequate water flow in rivers. They also emphasized the need to improve the flow standards in the Yamuna River, especially in areas facing ecological erosion due to excessive use and pollution.
The minister directed all the concerned bodies to accelerate the evaluation of e-flow programs and strengthen the monitoring and decision-making mechanisms. He called for a collective national effort with active participation of technical institutes and stakeholders to develop long -term solutions.
