Publication
A Strategic Framework for Managing Urban River Stretches in the Ganga River Basin: URMP
2020
The Urban River Management Plan (URMP) Framework, prepared by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in collaboration with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), serves as a strategic guide for Indian cities to rejuvenate, manage, and integrate rivers into urban planning. It identifies rivers as essential ecological and cultural assets that are under increasing pressure from urbanization and pollution. The framework outlines a comprehensive seven-stage planning process, including city-river profiling, vision development, goal setting, preparation of detailed action plans, alignment with urban development plans, institutional integration, and monitoring mechanisms. It encourages…
Publication
Strategic Guidelines for “Making River Sensitive Master Plans
2021
The Strategic Guidelines for Making River-Sensitive Master Plans, developed by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) with the support of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), provides a structured approach to integrate river-sensitive planning into urban master plans across India. The guidelines aim to ensure that rivers, as critical ecological, cultural, and economic assets, are safeguarded amid urban development. The document outlines a seven-step process starting with a baseline assessment of the river's condition, including its ecological status and water quality. This is followed by visioning and goal setting for river management. The guidelines emphasize policy and regu…
Publication
Urban River Management Plan - Kanpur
2021
The Urban River Management Plan (URMP) for Kanpur, developed by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) with the support of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), is a comprehensive strategy aimed at integrating river health into urban planning and governance. It focuses on the restoration, protection, and sustainable management of the Ganga and Pandu rivers, which are critical to Kanpur’s ecological balance, cultural identity, and public health.Kanpur, historically a major industrial and cultural hub along the Ganga, has long suffered from the degradation of its rivers due to untreated sewage, industrial effluents, solid waste dumping, and unplanned urban expansion. The URMP addresses these issues through a multi-dimensional approach that combines infrastructure development, policy reform, ecological restoration, and community engagement.The plan’s objectives include reducing direct pollution into rivers, improving sewage and solid waste management, rejuvenating natural habitats, and enhancing public access to the rivers through planned riverfront development. Key interventions include the installation of decentralized wastewater treatment systems, promotion of solid waste segregation at source, restoration of natural buffers along the riverbanks, and development of public amenities like ghats, parks, and walkways. These measures aim to reconnect people with the r…
Publication
Urban River Management Plan – Ayodhya
2023
The Urban River Management Plan (URMP) for Ayodhya, prepared by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in collaboration with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), is a strategic framework designed to sustainably manage and rejuvenate the Saryu River, which holds deep ecological, spiritual, and cultural significance. This plan focuses on integrating river health into the city’s urban planning mechanisms to ensure that the development of Ayodhya complements the conservation of its vital water body. The URMP outlines key objectives such as pollution abatement, improved sewage and solid waste management, riverfront development, habitat restoration, and enhanced public access. It p…
Publication
Urban River Management Plan - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad)
2023
The National Institute of Urban Affairs has assisted the city of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in creating its Urban River Management Plan (URMP). This is one of the first Urban River Management Plans created for a city outside of the Ganga basin, and considers the specific challenges associated with the Kham and Sukhna seasonal, rain-fed rivers. The URMP Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar proposes a set of 21 tangible and practical actions for managing the city’s water features, under the ten-point URMP agenda. While some of these interventions are planning-oriented and conceptual, others are projects that can be directly implemented on ground. The Urban River Management Plan (URMP) for Chhatrapati Sam…
Publication
A Guide towards River-Sensitive Urban Planning
2020
The "River Sensitive Urban Planning: Knowledge Product" (Version 2), developed by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in collaboration with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), provides a comprehensive framework for incorporating river-sensitive approaches into urban planning and development. This knowledge product is a vital resource designed to guide urban planners, policymakers, and stakeholders in cities across India, where river corridors are integral to both the ecological and cultural landscape.The document highlights the critical need to integrate river health into urban planning, particularly as cities face rapid growth and urbanization. It emphasizes that rivers are not merely sources of water but essential ecological systems that support biodiversity, regulate climate, and provide important cultural and recreational spaces. By focusing on sustainable urban development, the knowledge product calls for a paradigm shift in how cities engage with their rivers, ensuring that urban growth aligns with environmental sustainability and resilience.The knowledge product offers several strategies to achieve this goal. These include pollution management, decentralized wastewater treatment systems, sustainable stormwater management, and restoration of natural riverbanks. It outlines the importance of a river-sensitive approach to flood management, the preservati…
Publication
Innovations in Urban River Management
2022
The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) have collaboratively developed a knowledge product titled ‘Innovations in Urban River Management’. The primary objective of this product is to showcase pioneering and scalable innovations to city governors, administrators, and urban practitioners, assisting them in identifying practical and locally adaptable solutions to river-related urban challenges. This product highlights a wide range of innovative case examples from domains such as Information Technology, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Geographic Information Systems, and other emerging technologies. The featured case studies demonstrate so…
Publication
A Compendium of River Management Plans – From Managing River Basins to River Specific Projects
2022
The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), in collaboration with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), has developed a knowledge product titled “A Compendium of River Management Plans”. This compendium brings together a wide array of global best practices in river management, focusing on innovative and holistic approaches that have proven effective in different urban contexts. By documenting successful strategies from various parts of the world, the product aims to inspire Indian cities to adopt more integrated, sustainable, and inclusive methods of managing their rivers. Recognizing the numerous ecological, social, and infrastructural challenges faced by river cities in India—su…
Publication
Eco-friendly Interventions for Riverfront Development
2022
The Oxford dictionary defines an urban waterfront as “the part of a town or city adjoining a water body such as a river, lake, harbour, sea, etc.” Riverfronts can take various forms, including riverfronts, lakefronts, canal-fronts, or sea-fronts, often seen in many cities. Historically, riverfronts are where human culture and economies began, with many early settlements developing along rivers. These areas offer a wide range of services, including recreational spaces, intra- and inter-city navigation, livelihood opportunities (such as fishing and agriculture), religious and cultural connections, tourism promotion, and providing open spaces within the city for environmental benefits.Over time, many urban riverfronts have been neglected, suffering from unsustainable urbanization, pollution, and the impacts of climate change. Most riverfronts have been altered due to poor planning, leading to infrastructure decay and degraded river health. However, these areas hold significant potential for improving urban spaces and quality of life. In response, a need for more robust planning and development has arisen. To develop and regenerate riverfronts effectively, strategies must address several key areas, including ecological restoration, flood prevention, historical and cultural restoration, economic development, recreation and leisure, citizen connect with nature, and livelihood generat…
Publication
Celebrating the Intangible Value of Water
2022
Water holds immense intangible value across almost every country, deeply reflected in the diverse cultures, traditions, festivals, and rituals. This profound significance goes far beyond fulfilling basic human needs and highlights the central role water plays in society. As the saying goes, “What we cherish, we value, and what we value, we protect.” This adage speaks to the fact that leveraging the intangible value of water can serve as a powerful strategy to ensure its responsible use and long-term sustainability. The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), in collaboration with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), has developed a comprehensive knowledge product titled “Celebrat…
Publication
Managing Shallow Aquifers in Cities: A 6-Step Approach
2023
The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is supporting ten cities under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 to advance sustainable shallow aquifer management (SAM) in urban areas. This pioneering initiative addresses the unique and complex challenges of managing shallow aquifers at the city level by adopting a participatory mapping approach that involves local stakeholders, technical experts, and municipal institutions. It is the first time that shallow aquifer management has been implemented at a city-wide scale across India, marking a major step forward in decentralized urban water governance. The participatory process ensures that scientific knowle…
Report
Decentralized and Non-Sewered Wastewater Management for Selected Ganga Towns
2019
The conventional approach to managing wastewater in Indian towns has primarily focused on centralized sewer networks and sewage treatment plants (STPs). While effective in theory, these systems are capital and operation intensive, demand large quantities of water to maintain flow, and are difficult to implement in older or irregularly developed urban areas. Due to topographical constraints and the unregulated spatial growth of towns, it is often unfeasible to achieve 100% coverage through centralized systems alone. As a result, such approaches have struggled to eliminate the problem of untreated wastewater entering rivers, especially the Ganga.Recognizing these limitations, there is growing acceptance of decentralized, non-sewered solutions that collect and treat waste as close to the source of generation as possible. This is especially important in the Ganga basin, where the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) has made significant progress in reducing open defecation by promoting toilets with on-site containment. However, if faecal sludge from these toilets is not managed properly, it may further pollute the river instead of improving its condition.Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) offers a decentralized alternative that can effectively complement centralized systems. Despite being technically sound and cost-effective, decentralized wastewater solutions have historically rec…