Centre for River-Sensitive Cities
Resource Partners: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)
Duration: December 2021 - December 2024
About
The Centre for River-Sensitive Cities drives the agenda for river-sensitive urban development in India. It leads and expands the narrative around urban river planning and management, with a focus on enabling practical, on-the-ground transformation in cities. The Centre works to create an environment that supports implementing practices, regulations, and projects that harmonise the city-river relationship.
Its work is organised around three core areas:
Managing the River Cities Alliance (RCA): The Centre supports the day-to-day functioning of the 30-member River Cities Alliance and works to strengthen its capacity towards self-governance.
Decision Support Systems for Urban River Management: The Centre develops a range of decision support tools and frameworks addressing diverse aspects of urban river planning and management.
Advocacy and Capacity Building: The Centre sensitises cities to the value of integrating river considerations into their development agenda. This includes training cities in the application of frameworks, toolkits, and best practices developed for urban river management, as well as promoting river-related subject areas within academic curricula to shape the next generation of urban practitioners.
730
Stakeholders sensitised/trained
30
Cities actively engaged with
4
Dedicated urban river management plans developed
Events
First operational meeting of the River Cities Alliance, RCA
Online
March 2022 - March 2022
<p>The meeting was organised to chart a way forward for the RCA in consultation with member cities. Ten member cities participated in the meeting: Howrah, Bhubaneshwar, Jangipur, Maheshtala, Vijaywada, Farrukhabad, Aurangabad, Dehradun, and Rishikesh. Member cities discussed and proposed an initial agenda for the RCA that primarily focused on building officials' capacities in various aspects of urban river management. The key areas for capacity building identified were urban flood management and integrated urban water management.</p>
Train-the-Trainer Workshop on the “Urban River Management Plan Framework”
New Delhi
April 2022 - April 2022
<p dir="ltr">The main objective of the workshop was to train consultants working in different cities on enhancing their understanding of systemic management of urban rivers, and help them plan for interventions required to revive and maintain the rivers in a sustainable manner, while addressing all three major aspects: social, environmental and economic. 29 consultants from 20 cities participated in the workshop, comprising planners and practitioners, consultants, and trainers from urban missions (e.g., AMRUT 2.0, Smart Cities Mission), and academia. </p>
Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers (DHARA)
Pune
February 2023 - February 2023
<p>DHARA is the annual meeting of the RCA, organised for the representatives of the member cities to spend dedicated time discussing and learning solutions for urban river management. The primary purpose of DHARA is for Commissioners/Senior Officers of member cities to share the initiatives that they have undertaken for urban river management in their cities. Additionally, the Forum also featured sessions by think tanks, NGOs, and thought leaders on tangible solutions for managing urban rivers; sessions with technology providers and entrepreneurs to introduce the state-of-the-art technological solutions available, and create an environment for matchmaking between solutions providers and solution seekers (cities); sessions with international experts to introduce best practices from around the world and trigger food for thought to customize these practices for the Indian context, and sessions with funding agencies to introduce the participants to the ecosystem of financing available for interventions related to urban river management.</p>
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