Jammu, February 13 A high-level, inter-departmental committee is being set up to ensure flood control and water security in Jammu and Kashmir, Cabinet Minister Javed Ahmed Rana said on Friday.
Speaking on grants for the public health engineering department in the Assembly, Rana, who holds the charge for Jal Shakti, forest, ecology and environment, and tribal affairs departments, said the government's response to the devastating floods of August-September 2025 reflected effective crisis management with restoration works commencing within 24 hours.
"For long-term sustainability, a high-level inter-departmental committee is being constituted to ensure effective flood control and water security," he said.
On irrigation and flood control, the minister announced a substantial enhancement in capital expenditure, with Capex for 2026-27 proposed at Rs 996 crore, marking a 62 per cent increase over the revised allocation of Rs 612 crore the previous year.
Under the comprehensive flood management project on the Jhelum River, Rana said the flood-carrying capacity between Sangam and Padshahibagh in Srinagar has been enhanced from 31,800 cusecs to 41,000 cusecs, significantly improving flood safety.
Under PMDP Phase-II (Part A), 31 bank protection works worth Rs 276.61 crore are under execution, with 17 works already completed, he said.
Two regulatory gates at the Hokersar wetland have been completed at a cost of 28.45 crore, aiding ecological restoration, Rana said.
To address long-term flood risks, the minister said floodplain zoning measures are being implemented in line with the recommendations of the Central Water Commission.
Under the UT Capex programme, the minister said that over 1,000 irrigation and flood control works are presently under execution, of which nearly 350 have already been completed during 2025-26.
Rana also said that under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the government is committed towards ensuring universal functional household tap connections, and that 15.64 lakh households have already been provided tap water supply and the remaining will be covered soon.
Asserting that water quality monitoring is a core element of JJM, he said 98 water testing laboratories are functional and over 2.64 lakh water quality tests have been conducted this financial year, while third-party inspections and surprise checks are being conducted regularly.
Under NABARD RIDF, 57 schemes costing Rs 740.49 crore are under execution, of which seven have been completed while the remaining have been targeted for completion during 2026-27, the minister said.
Under UT Capex, he said, 1,136 drinking water works are under execution with 419 already completed and 550 targeted for completion in 2026–27.
Under SASCI, 42 projects worth Rs 163 crore have been approved, Rs 155.38 crore released and Rs 47 crore spent so far, while flood damage works worth Rs 430 crore for 2025 have also been identified for restoration.
The state specific action plan (SSAP) on water, prepared under the National Water Mission with technical support from NIH Roorkee and IIT Jammu, has received draft approval from the Centre and is in the final stages of approval, Rana said.
Under the Har Khet Ko Paani programme, the minister said 143 irrigation schemes are currently in progress, of which 50 are targeted for completion during the coming year.
The government is also leveraging institutional support, with NABARD backing 45 ongoing irrigation projects, including 12 scheduled for completion in 2026–27, Rana said.
In addition, 20 new RIDF-31 projects amounting Rs 156 crore have been approved to further expand irrigation coverage, he said.
The major flagship projects are nearing completion with the Shahpur Kandi dam project in its final stages, he said.
The project is expected to provide irrigation benefits to over 32,000 hectares of land in Kathua and Samba districts.
The Tawi barrage project in Jammu, being executed at a cost of Rs 64 crore, has achieved about 90 per cent physical progress, Rana said.
On grants for the tribal affairs department, Rana said the government has made inclusive and dignity-centric development of tribal communities a top priority.