Rivers and forests are deeply interconnected, and healthy forests play a crucial role in preventing river pollution, as forests growing on the riverbanks prevent soil erosion and also regulate water flow by balancing groundwater and rainwater runoff. The National Water Policy envisages Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) taking river basins/sub-basins as units for planning, development and management of water resources in the country. Water management in forest areas has remained ambiguous due to a lack of any institutional mechanism for coordination between the forest authorities and the water resources department. The recommendation by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources underlining the importance of the Ministry of Water Resources getting access to water bodies in forest areas, tiger reserves and sanctuaries in the country for the management of these water bodies highlighted a critical institutional and policy gap that needs to be addressed on a priority basis. Conservation of the water bodies, including rivers which traverse through vast forest areas, is not only crucial for water availability in human habitats outside the forests but also for the ecological balance needed to sustain the forests and flora and fauna dependent on these forests. The issue came to the fore during oral submission by officials of the Ministry of Water Resources before the committee when they informed the parliamentary panel that they were unable to access the waterbodies inside forest areas. The ministry also pointed out that the management of all the forest areas, tiger reserves, national parks and sanctuaries in the country broadly comes under the purview of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and there is no mechanism in place for coordination between the two ministries to address the issue. Apart from climate change impact, illegal felling of trees and legal diversion of forest areas for highway and infrastructure projects have precipitated the climate change impact on forest ecology, of which rivers and other waterbodies are an integral part. The parliamentary committee’s assertion that these protected forest areas play a very pivotal role in maintaining the ecosystem of the country and, in view of the adverse effects of climate change, the proactive management of water resources in these areas is necessary is a timely recommendation. The Ministry of Water Resources writing to the MoEFCC about the recommendation of the Committee has set the ball rolling on establishing the coordination mechanism. MoEFCC is providing access to the water resources authorities to water bodies inside forest areas, and the framework of coordination developed must elaborate on dos and don’ts for undertaking management of conservation and water waterbodies. Adequate care must be taken to ensure that there is no adverse impact on the forest ecology during the execution of any integrated river basin management projects along the stretches inside forest areas. Therefore, comprehensive planning for such projects, making a clear distinction in project work outside forest areas and inside forest areas, will require vetting by the forest authorities and experts. The Ministry of Jal Shakti preparing the project and presenting it to MoEFCC for granting access inside the forest areas will only delay the execution, and involving the authorities concerned of the protected forest areas right from the feasibility studies and preparation of the Detailed Project Report will be crucial to rule out any negative impact on the projects. The same strategy and approach to the management of waterbodies inside and outside the forest areas are not feasible, and the pace of project work in both the ecosystems will also vary widely. The Traditional knowledge and wisdom of indigenous communities in the northeast region in the conservation of forests and waterbodies inside forest areas can be relied upon to develop the framework of coordination between the forest authorities and water resources departments. These communities have developed deep understanding of forests and learnt sustainable practices that help to live in coexistence with nature. They revere water bodies inside forests as their life-givers, as they have experiential knowledge and wisdom passed on from one generation to the next that the rivers and water bodies are the sources of water for farming and drinking. The two ministries and various state governments holding extensive consultations with the custodians of traditional knowledge and wisdom and nature conservation can help policy planners to fine-tune the framework of management of waterbodies inside protected areas through the incorporation of the pragmatic and sustainable practices followed by indigenous communities. Conservation of crystal-clear water of rivers like Umngot in Meghalaya, clean water of Panimur Falls in Assam’s Dima Hasao district, and refreshing water of the Saralbhanga River in the Kokrajhar district near the India-Bhutan border, to name a few, which have become popular tourism and picnic spots, are some examples which demonstrate the traditional wisdom of indigenous communities in the region in the conservation of natural waterbodies. The northeast region can help the two ministries develop a pragmatic framework for conservation of waterbodies inside forest areas.