Publication
River Cities Tribune | Volume 1
2026
The River Cities Tribune is the bimonthly print magazine of the River Cities Alliance (RCA), bringing together research, reporting and expert voices from across RCA's 145 member cities. Each edition carries guest columns, commissioner interviews, and a running record of the Alliance's work on the ground. It exists on a simple premise: cities managing very different rivers still have plenty to learn from each other. Volume 1 leads with RCA's review of Master Plans across twelve member cities, an interview with Jhansi's former Municipal Commissioner on managing the Pahuj, and perspectives from the Director General of NMCG, the Director of NIUA, and experts from GIZ. It also covers the RCA S…
Publication
Sustainable Urban River Management Framework
2026
The Sustainable Urban River Management (SURM) Framework builds on the experience of India’s Urban River Management Plan (URMP) Framework, taking its approach to river-sensitive urban planning into a global context. It responds to the growing pressures on urban rivers and freshwater ecosystems from urbanisation, pollution and climate change. The framework provides cities with a structured set of goals, actions and indicators to assess existing practices, identify priorities and strengthen river-sensitive planning and implementation. It also connects urban river management with wider global priorities for sustainable cities, freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity. SURM marks the next step in t…
Publication
Urban India: Supplementary Edition (Re-thinking Urban Rivers)
2023
Volume 43 of Urban India, the National Institute of Urban Affairs’ (NIUA) bi-annual journal, contains nine pioneering research articles written by the student finalists of the Student Thesis Competition (STC), Season 2, along with various sector experts. STC is conducted annually by NIUA in collaboration with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to provide a platform for students to pitch their innovative research proposals, and gain financial and academic support. In 2022, students across India developed their projects across various thematics such as blue green infrastructure planning, the revival of urban waterbodies and groundwater, pollution abatement in rivers, wastewater pollution, engaging citizens in river management activities, and many others. Research conducted by successful student candidates has been published in this supplementary edition of Urban India, now available to all. This edition dives deep into various well-rounded case studies on the Thamirabarani River (Tirunelveli), Shekha Jheel (Aligarh), River Ganga, Assi and Varuna River (Varanasi), Hooghly River (Kolkata), the Cauvery Basin, Yamuna River (Delhi), and Jhelum River (Srinagar) – where students have offered their valuable insights and evidence-based policy inputs on urban river management in India.
Publication
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) For River-Sensitive Gatherings Along Riverbanks
2024
Riverbanks across India serve as dynamic public spaces, hosting a diverse range of gatherings — from spiritual festivals and cultural celebrations to concerts, civic ceremonies, environmental campaigns, and tourist activities. While these events foster community engagement and cultural expression, the concentration of significant numbers of people along the river's edge places considerable pressure on both natural and administrative resources, often exceeding their carrying capacity and posing risks to the ecological integrity of riverine environments.
Report
Outcome Report: Management of Urban Water Bodies
2022
Urban water bodies are critical components of city ecosystems, yet their effective assessment and management remain a persistent challenge across South and Southeast Asia. To address this, a two-day technical workshop on the Management of Urban Water Bodies was organised on 17–18 November 2022 in New Delhi, with the primary objective of building understanding and enabling practical application of the Urban Water Body Diagnostic Tool.
Publication
White Paper: A Qualitative Framework to Evaluate the Extent of Integrated Urban Water Management in Indian Cities & Applying the Framework to Delhi
2021
Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) has emerged as a widely recognised philosophy for managing the urban water sector, advocating a holistic treatment of water supply, wastewater, and stormwater systems to strengthen urban water security. While India has acknowledged IUWM as a sound and robust approach since 2015, its adoption has remained limited — constrained by gaps in awareness, the complexity of translating philosophy into practice, and the need for a nuanced understanding of a city's water dynamics across hydrological, economic, institutional, governance, and social dimensions.This White Paper seeks to bridge that gap. It presents a qualitative framework comprising ten criteria — organised under three heads: enabling environment, institutional arrangements, and management instruments — designed to help cities assess the extent of IUWM implementation and identify priority areas for progressive advancement. Conceived as an introspective instrument, the framework is intended to support honest internal assessments rather than inter-city benchmarking or comparison.The framework is subsequently applied to Delhi, India's capital city, to evaluate its current standing in terms of IUWM adoption. The assessment reveals that Delhi possesses a strong enabling environment, underpinned by progressive policies and a robust financial position. Its institutional arrangements are larg…