The Govt. of Nagaland by Notification No.AGR/ESTT-11/85 dated 30-07-1987 created the Department of Irrigation as an independent entity bifurcating the Engineering Wing of the Department of Agriculture. The Engineering Wing of the then Agriculture Department was multi-disciplinary in nature involving activities like construction of minor irrigation, anti-erosion, buildings, land reclamation, subsidy sale and maintenance of Farm Machineries &Equipments teamed with various engineering professionals in Civil, Agriculture, Mechanical and Electrical under one roof. The new Department of Irrigation, Nagaland started functioning independently with effect from 01-04-1988, the Department was then headed by a Joint Director, later re-designated as Superintending Engineer. The Department was renamed as the “Department of Irrigation and Flood Control” (I & FCD) by Govt. Notification during 1992. The same year an outright purchased building at Officer’s Hill, Kohima was occupied for the establishment of the Directorate of Irrigation and Flood Control Nagaland, Kohima. In 2005, the Department was fully upgraded and manned by a Chief Engineer exercising the delegated power at par with other major Engineering Departmentswith sizeable Officers in the rank of Addl. Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer, Executive Engineer, Sub-Divisional Officer, Junior Engineer, other technical and ministerial staff in running the Department.

Consequent upon the tremendous increase in volume of work coupled with heavy financial transactions involved a new building for the office of the Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Nagaland was constructed at New Capital Complex Kohima and occupied during July 2010. The erstwhile Irrigation & Flood Control was renamed as Water Resources Department vide Govt. Notification No. AR-15/1/85(Pt) dated 2^nd July 2018.