The 19th meeting of the Ganga Flood Control Board (GFCB) was held on 27 October 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, chaired by Union Water Resources Minister C.R. Patil. Attendees included West Bengal Chief Minister Shri Shubendu Adhikari, Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare State Minister Shri Ram Nath Thakur, NITI Aayog member Prof. K.V. Raju, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister Shri Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Uttar Pradesh Water Resources Minister Shri Swatantra Dev Singh, representatives of Ganga basin states, senior officials of the centre and state governments and representatives of related agencies
The Ganga Flood Control Board was set up by the central government on 18 April 1972 to formulate coordinated plans and facilitate implementation for flood, erosion and drainage issues in the Ganga basin. The board is chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister and includes representatives of relevant central ministries and the chief ministers or their delegates from the basin states. The chair of the Ganga Flood Control Commission serves as the board’s secretary. The board provides a high‑level institutional platform to strengthen centre‑state cooperation and coordination for effective flood management in the Ganga basin. The meeting provided an opportunity to review ongoing initiatives, reinforce inter‑state coordination and discuss emerging approaches for effective flood management.
During the meeting, the Union Water Resources Minister launched the ‘Punah Bharan’ mobile app. The app, developed by the Bhabhakaracharya National Space Applications and Geoinformatics Institute with support from the National Water Mission, aims to scientifically identify suitable sites for artificial groundwater recharge measures.
The board discussed the revised terms of reference and restructuring of the Ganga Flood Control Commission. The revisions aim to strengthen basin‑level flood management planning, evaluate flood management plans, study river morphology and sedimentation, and develop a flood management information system. These institutional changes are expected to improve coordination, technical assessment and timely decision‑making.
The meeting focused on preparing risk‑based basin master plans, assessing the adequacy of watercourses beneath bridges, improving the quality of detailed project reports, ensuring timely implementation of flood management projects and promoting the use of modern technologies in flood management.
Special emphasis was placed on strengthening coordination among central ministries, state governments and other stakeholders. Issues discussed included changes in river morphology, drainage obstructions, infrastructure development and enhancing flood‑resilience capacity. The importance of modern survey techniques, robust technical appraisal, necessary statutory approvals and timely resolution of implementation bottlenecks was also highlighted.
The meeting underscored the need to adopt a coordinated, risk‑based and technology‑driven approach to make flood management in the Ganga basin more effective. It also highlighted the necessity of better centre‑state coordination, improved technical standards and timely, integrated implementation of flood control measures.