Workshop on “Community Participation for Sustainable Water Resources Management”

The Water Resources Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, conducted a workshop on “Community Participation for Sustainable Water Resources Management” on June 14, 2025, at Radisson Blu Hotel, Egmore, Chennai. The event brought together representatives from various line departments, stakeholders, NGOs, and academicians to emphasize the urgent need for collective action in rejuvenating water bodies across the state to ensure long-term water self-sufficiency.

Welcoming the participants, Thiru J. Jayakanthan, I.A.S., Secretary to Government, Water Resources Department, highlighted the critical role of community involvement in the sustainable rejuvenation of water bodies.

In his inaugural address, Thiru N. Muruganandam, I.A.S., Chief Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu, stated that with 65% of the state’s population living in urban areas, the proper maintenance and restoration of water bodies is vital. He emphasized that this must be achieved within two to three years through active community participation, which will also help increase water storage and reduce excess runoff into the sea.

Thiru Vijay Deoraj, Chief Engineer & Joint Secretary, Soil and Water Conservation Department, Government of Maharashtra, was the special guest. He shared successful case studies of water body rejuvenation initiatives from Maharashtra.

Panel discussions were held under the leadership of senior officials, including:

• Tmt. Supriya Sahu, I.A.S., Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change & Forest Department
• Thiru D. Karthikeyan, I.A.S., Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration & Water Supply Department
• Tmt. P. Amudha, I.A.S., Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue Administration & Disaster Management
• Thiru Gagandeep Singh Bedi, I.A.S., Additional Chief Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Department

Other notable participants included:

• Thiru J. Kumaragurubaran, I.A.S., Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation
• Thiru P.N. Sridhar, I.A.S., Commissioner, HR&CE Department
• Dr. K. Senthil Raj, I.A.S., Managing Director, SIPCOT
• Thiru Srinivasa R. Reddy, I.F.S., PCCF & HoFF
• Thiru P. Ponniah, I.A.S., Commissioner, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Department
• Thiru K. Arunmani, Additional Director, Rural Development
• Thiru R. Sivakumar, Regional Director, Central Ground Water Board

Senior engineers from the Water Resources Department, including Tmt. Janaki, Chief Engineer, Chennai Region, and Thiru Pothupani Thilagam, Joint Chief Engineer, were also present. Academicians from IIT Madras and Anna University enriched the technical discussions.

Participating NGOs and civil society representatives included:

• Thiru Swaran Singh, I.A.S. (Retd.), Chairman, Srinivasan Services Trust
• Thiru Arun Krishnamurthy, Environmentalist Foundation of India
• Thiru Nimal Raghavan, MEGA Foundations
• Thiru C. Chinnasamy, Siruthuli
• Thiru S. Senthur Pari, President, ExNoRa International Foundation
• Dr. Sakthivel Beemaraja, Ramco Community Services
• Thiru A.L. Subramanian, SPIC Ltd.
• Thiru V. Venkatesan, CEO, DHAN Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation

In his concluding remarks, Thiru T. Udhaya Chandran, I.A.S., Principal Secretary to Government, Finance Department, emphasized the urgent need to implement a public-private partnership (PPP) model for water body rejuvenation as a key takeaway from the workshop.

The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Thiru S. Ramesh, Engineer-in-Chief and Chief Engineer (General), Water Resources Department.

Issued by:
Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR),
Secretariat, Chennai – 9