The Ministry of Rural Development’s Department of Land Resources held a national workshop on 29 September 2026 to design pilot projects that will combine river rejuvenation with watershed development. The initiative aims to restore river flows by treating the landscapes and catchment areas that feed them, while simultaneously improving agricultural productivity and farmer incomes in these regions.
The workshop brought together scientists, hydrologists, government officials and NGOs to establish a scientific framework for selecting rivers and streams, designing interventions, and measuring outcomes across environmental, agricultural and socio-economic dimensions.
Key facts
- Workshop held on 29 September 2026 at New Delhi by the Department of Land Resources
- Participants included experts from IITs, Indian Council of Agricultural Research institutes, National Remote Sensing Centre, Central Ground Water Board, National Mission for Clean Ganga, and international organisations
- Pilot projects will focus on first-, second- and third-order streams and small rivers
- Selection criteria include historical flow decline, catchment condition, rainfall patterns, groundwater depletion, intervention potential and data availability
- Monitoring will assess outcomes across hydrological, environmental, agricultural and socio-economic dimensions
What is the river rejuvenation approach
River rejuvenation through the watershed approach treats entire catchment areas to restore the natural water cycle that feeds rivers. Rather than focusing on rivers alone, this method addresses the landscapes upstream by improving soil and water conservation, increasing groundwater recharge, and managing rainfall runoff. The goal is to restore flows during lean seasons when rivers naturally carry less water, which has become a critical problem in many regions due to declining rainfall, deforestation and groundwater depletion.
The Department of Land Resources secretary, Narendra Bhooshan, stated that each catchment has different hydrological conditions, so interventions must be tailored accordingly. Planning should begin with a hydrological baseline that documents existing rainfall patterns, groundwater levels, catchment conditions and water balance before any interventions are designed.
Dual benefits: river health and farmer income
The pilot projects aim to achieve two objectives simultaneously. First, they will increase river flows through groundwater recharge and soil and water conservation measures. Second, they will improve agricultural productivity and farmer incomes in the catchment areas being treated. The Joint Secretary for Watershed Management acknowledged this is challenging, requiring careful balance between environmental restoration and livelihood improvement.
Farmers living in catchment areas that receive watershed treatment benefit directly through better soil moisture retention, improved groundwater availability for wells, and enhanced agricultural output. At the same time, increased groundwater recharge feeds into rivers, improving water availability downstream during dry seasons.
Selection and implementation framework
The workshop deliberated on how to select which rivers and streams should be treated first. Priority will go to waterways that have experienced historical flow decline and where intervention is most likely to succeed. The selection process will consider catchment condition, rainfall patterns, rates of groundwater depletion, the potential for specific interventions to work, and availability of hydrological data.
The pilots will focus initially on smaller order streams, which have limited long-term flow records. The National Rainfed Area Authority emphasized the need for a systematic, data-based framework that combines legacy data, scientific analysis, high-resolution satellite mapping and decision support systems to guide river selection and plan appropriate treatments.
Monitoring and scaling
Each pilot will be monitored across four dimensions: hydrological outcomes such as increased base flows and groundwater levels; environmental indicators; agricultural productivity and soil health; and socio-economic benefits including farmer income and employment. This comprehensive monitoring framework is designed to generate evidence that can guide scaling up the watershed development approach to other rivers and regions across India if the pilots succeed.
Integration with existing schemes
The workshop highlighted the importance of coordinating these new pilots with existing government programmes, including the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s initiatives, state watershed schemes, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority scheme, and corporate social responsibility investments. This whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach aims to combine resources and expertise from multiple institutions, research bodies and NGOs.
What this means for you
If you live in a catchment area selected for pilot treatment, you may benefit from improved water availability through community-managed watershed structures such as check dams, ponds and infiltration trenches. Farmers will likely see improved soil moisture and groundwater levels, potentially increasing crop yields with lower irrigation costs. The long-term goal is to restore seasonal river flows, which benefits both agricultural users and communities dependent on rivers downstream.