Why small rivers need distinct rejuvenation strategy

But how does the SRR framework seek to address such issues? Are there other state and community-led initiatives to rejuvenate the small rivers? First, let’s understand small rivers and their significance.  

Status of small rivers in India

Small rivers can be defined as 50-150 km long natural water bodies. They usually flow within one or two districts, which can be seasonal or perennial. But the increasing population pressure, rapid and unplanned urbanisation, pollution and land-use change have disrupted the flow of small rivers.

Smaller rivers passing through urban areas are particularly vulnerable to degradation. Many of them have been encroached upon, narrowed, and reduced to water bodies carrying mostly waste and city sewage. 

A number of small rivers that sustained ecological and cultural lifelines of their respective cities have been drastically degraded, including: 

Sahibi river: A tributary of the Yamuna River is ecologically degraded and is now locally known as Delhi’s largest drain, Najafgarh. 

Mitihi river: It begins at Vihar Lake and flows through Mumbai. The river has degraded drastically and is full of garbage, sludge, etc. 

Musi River: The river is a tributary of the Krishna River in Hyderabad, and is also known as Muchukunda or Musunuru river. It is highly polluted. 

Cooum River: Once called the ‘Thames of South India’ in Chennai, the waterway has become highly polluted and toxic.  

The Vrishabhavathi river in Bengaluru, the Bharalu and the Bahini rivers in Guwahati, the Varuna and Assi rivers in Varanasi, and the Mula and Mutha rivers in Pune are some other examples of similar degradation.   

Significance of small rivers 

Rivers provide essential ecosystem services for communities, which can be broadly categorised into provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. Provisioning ecosystem services include water for drinking, irrigation, and support for wildlife. Rivers also provide efficient transportation routes, while their flows are harnessed to generate hydroelectric energy. 

Furthermore, rivers help regulate groundwater recharge and the hydrological cycle, aquatic vegetation, wetlands, floodplains, etc. They also support nutrient cycling, soil transportation and habitat formation of aquatic organisms such as fish, prawn, turtle, gharial and others. At the same time, these rivers hold religious and cultural significance. 

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), transportation through inland waterways consumes 3-6 times less energy than road and up to 2 times less energy than rail transport, with overall lower carbon emissions. According to a 2021 report by NITI Aayog, the railways and road transport share 18% and 71% of India’s freight traffic respectively, while Inland water transport (IWT) constitutes only about 2%. 

Comparison of freight cost from respective ministries shows that transport through Inland waterways costs are lowest with Rs. 1.06 per tonne-Kilometre (TKm), followed by railways (Rs. 1.36 per TKm) and road transport (Rs. 2.50 per TKm). 

India’s extensive network of rivers and canals can provide a fuel-efficient and environmentally sustainable transport option through its 111 inland National Waterways spread across 23 States and 4 UTs. But only 32 of these waterways are currently operational. According to the Union Budget 2026-27, the government plans to operationalise 20 more inland waterways over the next five years. 

Policy framework for inland waterways

To make the waterways operational, essential facilities like adequate depth and width of fairways, a vessel handling terminal, and supportive infrastructure are needed to establish first. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was constituted under Section 3 of the IWAI Act, 1986, for developing and maintaining infrastructure for inland water transport (IWT).

During the last decade, some major policy initiatives were introduced to develop and strengthen inland water transport, including: 

The National Waterways Act (2016): It declared 111 waterways (including 5 existing and 106 new) as National Waterways (NWs) to promote Inland Water Transport. 

The Inland Vessels Act (2021): It seeks to facilitate harmonised and effective regulation of the inland vessels and their seamless and safe navigation across the states.

The Coastal Shipping Act (2025): It dentifies the suitable coastal shipping routes and suggest operational improvements to increase synergy between other modes of transport and IWT.

The National Waterways (Construction of Jetties/Terminals) Regulations (2025): It seeks to expand the operational network of National Waterways (NWs) for cargo and passenger traffic and encourage private investment.

The River Cruise Tourism Roadmap 2047, launched in 2024, also provides a structured framework to promote river cruise tourism in India. However, the sustainable development of such river-based activities also requires the ecological rejuvenation and long-term health of rivers.

Highlights of SRR draft framework

Previous efforts of large river rejuvenation programmes mostly relied on solutions based on engineering and technology. Although these interventions were important, they couldn’t yield the desired result thus far. The proposed SRR framework seeks to address this gap through cost-effective, nature-based ecological solutions designed based on local biodiversity needs and availability of natural resources. 

The framework also recognises the differences in priorities and challenges for urban and rural small rivers, and notes that maintaining their sustained flow is a greater challenge than initially restoring it. 

Under the proposed rejuvenation framework, rivers will be prioritised based on certain factors like the extent of flow reduction, level of pollution, administrative feasibility, and ecological factors. The framework will be implemented utilising available resources under existing government schemes such as VB-G RAM G scheme, Swachh Bharat Mission and Namami Gange. 

State and community-led initiatives 

Moreover, state governments and local communities are also involved in protecting and rejuvenating small rivers. In Uttar Pradesh, the ‘One District-One River’ programme has sought to revive dying and polluted water bodies. Under this initiative, measures were undertaken to revive several rivers, including the Noon, Sakarni, Ghurari, Manorama and Tamsa rivers. 

Similar efforts are being undertaken in other states. In Kerala, the government’s initiatives have focused on the ecological restoration of Chithari and Kammalamkudi rivers. 

Moreover, local communities are also actively involved in the protection, restoration and rejuvenation of these streams, such as Sukhnag and Sandran, tributaries of the Jhelum River in Jammu and Kashmir; Manganga and Kayadhu rivers in Maharashtra; Lilagar River in Chhattisgarh; Rushikulya and Daya rivers in Odisha. 

Need for policy shift and way forward

Rivers are not just waterbodies but interconnected systems that support human needs, aquatic life and biodiversity. Smaller tributaries and streams are an integral part of it. When a smaller tributary joins the main river, it not only brings water but also nutrients, sediments and aquatic biodiversity. However, when these tributaries pass through urban or industrial areas, they may also carry trash, sewage, and sludge. 

Addressing degradation in smaller rivers can, therefore, contribute to improving the ecological health of larger river systems. Earlier river rejuvenation efforts have often faced challenges because observing and monitoring large rivers with uneven and diverse degrading factors is difficult. 

This offers a rationale to pay greater attention to the restoration and rejuvenation of smaller rivers. Any such effort needs to focus on ensuring the river’s health, the flow of clean, uncontaminated water, connection with local water bodies, and reducing runoff to enhance groundwater recharge and maximising ecosystem services in a sustainable manner. The draft SRR framework looks promising, but the real challenges may be its effective implementation. 

Post read questions

1. Rivers are not merely channels of water but complex ecological systems that provide a range of ecosystem services. Discuss with suitable examples.

2. Rivers help regulate groundwater recharge and the hydrological cycle, aquatic vegetation, wetlands, floodplains. Explain.

3. Inland waterways offer significant economic and environmental advantages over road and rail transport. Examine the opportunities and challenges in developing inland water transport in India.

4. The ecological restoration of small rivers can contribute significantly to the rejuvenation of major river systems. Explain.

(Abhinav Rai is a Doctoral candidate at the Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.)  

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