Delhi’s rapid urbanisation, increasing population pressures, fragmented institutional responsibilities, and growing stress on the Yamuna River and its floodplains highlight the need for an integrated and city-specific approach to river management. While multiple agencies are involved in water supply, wastewater management, flood control, pollution regulation, and urban planning, existing interventions have largely remained sectoral, limiting coordinated action for river restoration. Recognising this need, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), in partnership with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), is developing an Urban River Management Plan (URMP) for Delhi. The URMP aims to establish an integrated planning and governance framework that aligns river restoration with urban development, climate resilience, and sustainable infrastructure planning.

Adopting a basin-to-city perspective, the URMP will assess the current status of the Yamuna river system within Delhi, including its drainage networks, floodplains, and pollution sources. The plan will identify key challenges related to water quality, flooding, ecological degradation, and institutional coordination, and propose technically feasible and financially viable interventions across short, medium, and long-term horizons. Through multi-stakeholder engagement and integration with ongoing national and city-level initiatives, the URMP seeks to institutionalise river-sensitive urban planning, improve the ecological health of the Yamuna, reduce flood and pollution risks, and strengthen the long-term resilience of the river corridor within Delhi’s urban landscape.