At the Rivers, Rights, Resilience Forum (RRRF) 2026 in Colombo, Youth for Meghna (Y4M) members transitioned from observers to “active architects” of regional water policy. Represented by Ashu Balhara (ASSOCHAM), Dr. Priyanka Sarkar (NITI Aayog), and Omkar Vasant Balel (Jaljeevika), the Y4M team moved beyond a symbolic presence to lead mainstream plenaries on climate finance and fisheries governance. The forum was attended by more than 60 participants, with strong focus on the young water champions, represented by members of Y4M and Youth Basin Ambassadors (YBA). Our participation was supported by IUCN through the BRIDGE and TROSA Programmes.
Our involvement proved that young professionals could act as the essential “glue” connecting high-level policy with grassroots realities, ensuring that community knowledge remains central to collaborative negotiations.
The forum solidified three pillars for Y4M’s path forward: advancing people-centred governance that merged ecology with equity, positioning youth as key actors in water diplomacy, and driving inclusive resilience through gender-sensitive, community-led solutions. By translating complex regional frameworks into local action, Y4M demonstrated that meaningful youth participation is no longer just a privileged opportunity, it is a prerequisite for effective basin cooperation for long-term climate survival and cooperation across the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin.
Youth-Led Impact: Citizen Science at Rupabali Anua (Wetland)
Ashu Balhara shared the example of youth-led impact through the Citizen-Led Science work at Rupabali Anua in Assam, an ox-bow lake linked to the Barak river. This initiative moved beyond theory into direct action, by training 16 local youth in water quality assessment and sharing of the results with the local government, as well as the Meghna Knowledge Forum II held in July 2025. Among the trained youth, three are now serving as community trainers and local water stewards, conducting monthly monitoring of critical river health parameters.
The findings have already translated into tangible outcomes: the detection of E. coli and high iron levels shifted the project from simple data collection to inform a public health campaign. By sharing these evidence-based narratives, these young leaders have moved beyond the role of observers to become active custodians of Rupabali Anua, fostering local ownership and teaching the community how to safely interact with the water resources.
Ashu Balhara at the RRR Forum | 2026, Colombo
Reimagining Fair Fisheries
Omkar Balel highlighted Jaljeevika’s ecosystem model, which has empowered over 4,000 women in Maharashtra by integrating IoT water quality kits with community-led governance. He shared how the “Matsya Sakhi” (Friend of the Fish) model balances biodiversity protection with economic security by training selected village women as fisheries para-professionals. These women provide technical advisory services to local fishers—such as monitoring pond health and optimising feed—ensuring that higher yields do not come at the cost of ecological health.
Omkar Vasant Balel speaking at the RRR Forum | 2026, Colombo
Gender, Media, and Inclusive Policy Dialogue
Dr. Priyanka Sarkar during the “Role of Media” session, highlighted the power of storytelling to reveal lived vulnerabilities—like the loss of land and dignity—that technical data often overlooks. She reiterated that documenting these personal struggles shifts the focus from purely technical targets to human rights. This narrative approach helps humanise frameworks like the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC), ensuring they function as people-centered tools that prioritize social equity and community-led adaptation. By informing policy with lived experience, initiatives like Mission LiFE and AMRUT 2.0 can better address the needs of the most vulnerable.
Dr Priyanka Sarkar at the RRR Forum | 2026, Colombo
Building Economic Resilience Through Private Sector Engagement
Representing Y4M, Ashu Balhara highlighted how responsible private-sector participation strengthened climate-resilient livelihoods across GBM basins. She argued for integrating corporate actors into the development and implementation of River Basin Governance Frameworks. The private sector can contribute to a water secure future through innovation in technology and financing of integrated water and ecosystem management. Her intervention focused on aligning investments with community needs and revitalising Public-Private Forums where youth can act as translators between corporate capabilities and grassroots priorities. Furthermore, she emphasised that market-based mechanisms—such as Water Neutrality and Green Credits—and related private sector policy incentives and reward systems will contribute to long-term sustainability while securing watershed health.
The Way Forward : Cross-Basin Learning
RRRF 2026 marked a decisive shift from symbolic youth presence to meaningful, institutionalised leadership. By integrating young leaders into every thematic track—from fisheries, water governance to climate finance—the forum proved that youth can act as active architects of the regional water agenda. These networks demonstrate the strategic value of Young Water Champions as connectors, translating complex frameworks into grassroots actions supporting the integration of community knowledge into policy and plans.
Looking ahead, the forum reaffirmed a commitment to people-centred basin governance and youth leadership. Crucially, RRRF highlighted that cross-basin learning between networks like Y4M and YBA provide a platform for cross-pollination of ideas, and accelerate the adoption of resilient solutions and built a unified front for water diplomacy.
By bridging diverse geographies, young leaders defined a collaborative way forward, ensuring they remained the backbone of sustained dialogue for the shared rivers of South Asia.
