Aizawl, September 2026: Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Wednesday chaired a meeting at the CM Conference Hall to discuss measures for strengthening the Irrigation and Water Resources Department (IWRD). Representatives of the General Administration Department (GAD), Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DP&AR), Finance Department and Irrigation and Water Resources Department attended the meeting. Minister PC Vanlalruata and senior officials were also present.
The Chief Minister said many government departments were facing a shortage of manpower and had been functioning with inadequate staff for several years. He noted that such departments could be adversely affected due to insufficient personnel.
He said the Irrigation and Water Resources Department had remained in a similar position for the past 19 years, despite having a wide range of responsibilities and significant scope for development.
“While keeping in mind the situation of other departments, we are first listening to and understanding their difficulties,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the department, which was earlier known as Minor Irrigation, now has responsibilities extending far beyond irrigation development. Its present areas of work include river basin planning, springshed development, integrated water resources management, hydrological data management, flood management and warning systems, multipurpose reservoirs and groundwater development.
Given the increasing scope and scale of its responsibilities, the department is currently handling several major projects and requires significantly stronger technical support, he said.
During the meeting, Er. K. Hamleta, Chief Engineer, IWRD, presented the plans prepared for strengthening the department and explained the proposed measures and their implementation process. The meeting also discussed the follow-up action required to take the proposed strengthening measures forward.
