"NE India Water Talks" is an archival platform of water stories from Northeast India. It also acts as a workspace for the people working on water for the region. NEIWT visualises a water secure and sustainable region based on the principles of social equity, environmental sustainability, democratic and inclusive water governance.
In April 2025, Northeast India faced water scarcity, floods, and contamination, straining outdated infrastructure. Responses included hydropower revival, real-time monitoring, and green innovations. Climate change and tensions with Bangladesh and China deepened the crisis. Sustainable water management and regional cooperation are essential for long-term water security and community resilience.
Kohima is grappling with a worsening water crisis due to poor water retention, steep terrain, and failing infrastructure. Despite abundant rainfall, access remains unequal,costly, affecting health and livelihoods. Groundwater potential is limited, and agriculture suffers. Recent policies and projects offer hope, but urgent action is needed to secure sustainable and equitable water for all.
খেৰকটীয়া নৈ মাজুলীৰ উত্তৰ-পূব কোণত অৱস্থিত এখন উল্লেখযোগ্য নদী৷ ই মাজুলী আৰু লক্ষীমপুৰক বিভক্ত কৰে আৰু অঞ্চলটোৰ জাতি-সংস্কৃতি, অৰ্থনীতি আৰু যাতায়ত ব্যৱস্থাত গুৰুত্বপূৰ্ণ ভূমিকা পালন কৰিছে৷ ১৯৭৭ চনৰ বানে বৃহৎ ক্ষতি সাধন কৰিছিল৷ বৰ্তমান নৈখন ক্ষয়প্ৰাপ্ত হৈও কৃষি, জলসিঞ্চন আৰু পৰ্যটন ক্ষেত্ৰত অপৰিসীম সম্ভাৱনা বহন কৰে৷
The March 2025 North East India Water Talk reports progress in rural tap water coverage, with Arunachal achieving 100% and Assam surpassing 75%. Tripura and Meghalaya are close behind. However, water scarcity, pollution in Umiam Lake, and Loktak Lake’s decline pose major concerns.
This newsletter is a monthly publication of the North East India Water Talks (NEIWT). We cover all aspects of water, including reports, paper clips, research papers, incidents, and activities done by different actors, such as government institutions, non-governmental organizations, etc.
The article highlights Tripura’s devastating August 2024 floods, exacerbated by heavy rainfall and the Dumboor Dam’s overflow. While Bangladesh’s flooding gained media focus, Tripura’s marginalised communities suffered unnoticed. Poor communication and inadequate disaster response worsened their plight,..
NEIWT (North-East India Water Talks) aims to improve the effectiveness of local actors for decision-making processes in water management and create a workspace for the people working on water in the Northeast of India. The idea of Northeast India Water Talks evolved through a series of conversation with lay people as well as those who work on water-related issues. These informal and spontaneous conversations, one on one, or in small groups, in different parts of the region, began in the course of attending workshops, seminars on water, and running campaigns on various water issues across the region in the past several years. It also reveals the level of public awareness and understanding of the domain of water and its relations with other elements of nature – air, soil, plants, forest, and ecosystems.