Two-day conference concludes with pledge for holistic management of rivers flowing through cities

“We will endeavour that no untreated used water flows into our river systems. We will strive to ensure that the condition of our rivers — both in terms of quality and quantity of water – leaving our city boundaries is at least the same, or better than that entering the city boundary,” the RCA said in its declaration.

It said the RCA members will take dedicated efforts to rejuvenate and revive degraded water bodies in their respective cities. “We will invest in improving our technical and operational capacities to manage diverse aspects of river management to ensure scientific rigour in decision making,” it said, adding the RCA members will strive to improve the citizen-river connect in their cities and propagate river-friendly practices.

The RCA members also assured to make all efforts to “Catch the Rain” to ensure maximum capture of rainwater to address issues of water storage during summer season and urban flooding during rainy season along with environmental flow of water in the river and preservation of riverine biodiversity.

“Urban rivers are our assets. Protecting, cherishing and managing them in a sustainable manner is our core responsibility,” they said.

During the concluding session, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishore emphasised the need to spread the message of ‘Swachh Dhara, Sampann Kinara’ to the citizens of the country.

He said that of 107 RCA cities, sewage treatment facilities are present in about 70. “Security of water resources is a shared responsibility. The RCA and those in attendance today emphasized the significant progress made in water resource protection and sustainable urban development as a result of the collaboration of the two ministries,” Kishore said.

Earlier, PMC commissioner Vikram Kumar laid out a six-point solution for the revival of Pune’s rivers. He said efforts would be made to make the river pollution-free, reduce risk of flooding, make riverbank accessible to the public, retain and reuse water, improve the city’s connectivity and amenities to the riverfront, integrate existing heritage structures, recreational, religious and socio-cultural activities, and improve ecology.

Hitesh Vaidya, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), said, “It is now time to look to the future strategies that will ensure climate financing, data distribution, action research, capacity building, and holistic partnerships, which could be the cornerstones of a possible Mission DHARA.”

Gwalior has been chosen as the location for the next RCA international meeting – DHARA 2024.