DHARA 2023: ANNUAL MEET OF 'RIVER-CITIES ALLIANCE' HELD
DHARA 2023 had strong synergies with the Urban20 (U20) initiative under the ambit of India’s G20 Presidency. One of the thrust areas of the U20 is to promulgate urban water security
ased on the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to entrench rivercentric mindset in planning for cities on the river banks, the first-of-its-kind initiative – River Cities Alliance (RCA) was launched by the Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in November 2021. The primary objective of the RCA, funded by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and jointly implemented with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), is to provide the member cities with a platform to discuss and exchange information on aspects that are vital for sustainable management of urban rivers such as minimizing their water footprint, reducing impacts on river and water bodies, capitalizing on natural, intangible, architectural heritage and develop selfsufficient, self-sustainable water resources through the 5-Rs (Recycle, Reuse,
BReduce, Recharge and Respect) approach. In the past one year using the domain expertise of NIUA, regular training workshops and e-courses have been created to enhance the capacities of ULBS across the country. Strategic guidelines have been framed for ‘Making River-sensitive Master Plans’. Town and Country Planning Organization has brought out document titled ‘River-centric Urban Planning Guidelines’ for rive zone regulations. ‘New Urban Agenda’ under RCA is embedded in the core principles of ‘Nirmal Ganga’, ‘Aviral Ganga’, ‘Gyan Ganga’, ‘Jan Ganga’ and ‘Arth Ganga’. Due to such initiatives, the number of member-cities of RCA has increased from 30 in 2021 to 107 in 2023.
Taking this resolve a step further, the NMCG and NIUA organised DHARA 2023– Driving Holistic
Action for Urban Rivers from 13th to 14th February in Pune. The opening session was presided over by Shekhawat. The session witnessed the launch of Urban River Management Plan for Ayodhya and Aurangabad and ‘75 River Initiatives’ – a Compendium. The minister inaugurated DHARA 2023 by unifying the water collected from 52 participating cities in a Jal Kalash. It is a unique manifestation of Jal Shakti through Jal Sangam, embodying the concept of a unified DHARA. In his address, Shekhawat said that rivers are synonymous with civilizations and after several decades of using our rivers for survival, we must reflect on what we have given the rivers back, otherwise our future generation will bear the brunt of water scarcity. “It is necessary to re-establish the respect for water, which went down from generationto-generation as part of the traditional wisdom of our forefathers,” he said.
He further added that water availability is the basis of making Vision@2027 target a success and requirement of water is directly proportional to the growth of the economy.
Director General, NMCG, G. Asok Kumar expressed his happiness on the fact that the membership of the RCA has crossed the 100 mark and the urban water issues are now being address seriously. “Water was always kept in silos; one H2O was divided into multiple units. But now things have changed and water and rivers are being looked at holistically,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of rainwater harvesting and said that every city should protect traditional water bodies and have natural fillers as promoted under the “Catch the Rain” campaign.
The “Pune Declaration” was signed in the presence of Minister of State for
Urban Housing and Affairs Kaushal Kishore during the closing session. It was jointly signed by G. Asok Kumar and Vikram Kumar, Municipal Commissioner, Pune who signed on behalf of municipalities of all RCA member cities.
‘Ghat Pe Yoga’ session was also organised at Sant Gyaneshwar Ghat on Mulla Mutha River (Pune), which is being cleaned under NRCP with the cost of Rs990.26 crore. ‘Ghat Pe Yoga’ is a novel initiative being promoted by Namami Gange as part of the Arth Ganga campaign that aims to establish people-river connect through the “bridge of economy”.
Initiatives like DHARA 2023 with the moto "SßSÍ Ïaeúuae, â{âóae ç·¤ùaeúuae" would be successful in nudging the urban planners to prioritize water conservation in general and river rejuvenation in particular, a welcome departure from the past. Gwalior will host the next annual meet of DHARA in 2024.