Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Kaushal Kishore presided over the valedictory session of DHARA 2023 – Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers – organised on 13^th and 14^th February by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in Pune. Shri G. Asok Kumar, Director General, NMCG, Shri Vikram Kumar, Pune Commissioner and Shri Hitesh Vaidya, Director, NIUA were also present during the session. DHARA 2023 is the annual meeting of the members of the River Cities Alliance (RCA) and provides a platform for senior officials including Commissioners, Addl. Commissioners, Chief Engineers and Senior Planners of over 100 member-cities in India to co-learn and discuss solutions for managing local water resources.

In the early hours of Day 2 of DHARA, ‘Ghat Par Yoga’ session was organised on Sant Gyaneshwar Ghat on Mulla Mutha River in Pune. ‘Ghat Par Yoga’ is a novel initiative under Namami Gange Programme aimed at mobilizing people to use ghats along Ganga and its tributaries for beneficial and recreational activities such as Yoga.

 

Delivering the valedictory address, Shri Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs expressed his happiness that member-cities of RCA have gone up from 30 to 107 and noted that these 107 cities are connected with 72 rivers.

He said that due to industrialization and urbanization, the dirty water contaminates the rivers, which were earlier not taken care of. However, under the leadership of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Namami Gange Programme was launched. Besides, a lot of work is being done in recharging groundwater.

Talking about the ecology, he said that it is our moral responsibility to plant trees, which is directly lined with availability of good oxygen as well as clean water. “It is only when our rivers will be clean and flowing that we will be able to develop Jal Marg across the country,” he said, adding, “It is for the first time that the issue of river pollution is being addressed holistically.” He also emphasized the importance of Jan Andolan in making this programme a success. “To mark the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the district administrations have been asked to transform local ponds into Amrit Sarovars. Waterconservationis one of the most important focus areas under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav,” he added. The Minister said that the target has been set to make 250 cities as members of the RCA before the next annual meeting of RCA.

Shri G. Asok Kumar, DG, NMCG informed the gathering that the DHARA 2024 will take place in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh and the focus area of the next annual meet would be the implementation and action taken under Urban River Management Plans. Calling RCA an example of working jointly towards the cause of River Rejuvenation, Shri Kumar said that for Arth Ganga, NMCG has collaborated with various stakeholders to work on the six verticals of Arth Ganga including Zero BudgetNatural Farming for “more Net income, per drop”, Monetization and Reuse of Sludge &Wastewater, Livelihood Generation Public Participation, CulturalHeritage & Tourism and Institutional Building.Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed by NMCG with 10 stakeholders for implementation of Arth Ganga.

He emphasized the importance of rainwater harvesting and said that every city should have natural fillers as promoted under the Catch the Rain campaign launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion of World Water Day 2021. He exhorted the Municipal Commissioners to plan in the next 3 months so that maximum rainwater is harvested in the coming monsoon season.

Day 2 of DHARA 2023 witnessed diverse sessions on various aspects of river rejuvenation. The inaugural session of Day 2 on ‘Stories from RCA Cities’ was chaired by Shri G. Asok Kumar, DG, NMCG. The experiences from the member-cities of Aurangabad, Ayodhya, Gwalior, Moradabad and Pune were shared during the interactive session. The main factors that stood out during the discussion include 'Water Centric Approach, STP/FSTP Development with Sewerage Network, Wastewater Management, Revival of Water Bodies, Nature-based Solutions and Groundwater Recharge' to be done in sync with the city's requirements.Speaking at the session, DG, NMCG said that during the research on ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign, it was found that there was an immense mismatch in the data being shared amongst different bodies.

A session on ‘Financing River Related Projects & Interventions’, which was chaired by Ms. Richa Misra, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor, Do WR, RD & GR, Ministry of Jal Shakti.The session outlined the different national and international funding available for river-related projects. International organisations such as the World Bank, Agence Française de development (AFD), Embassy of Denmark, Department for International Development (DFID), KfW Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and Private Enterprises (through CSR activities) participated in the session. Other session included ‘Inclusive Riverfront Development’, Solid Waste Management’, ‘Nature-based Solutions’, Inclusive city-wide Sanitation’, ‘The Role of Groundwater for Healthy Rivers’ and ‘State-of-the-art Research for River Management’.

DHARA 2023 had strong synergies with the Urban20 (U20) initiative under the ambit of India’s G20 Presidency. One of the thrust areas of U20 is to promulgate urban water security. Healthy rivers have a vital role to play in enhancing the overall water security of any city.

MoS Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Kaushal Kishore Addressing the Valedictory Session of Dhara 2023 in Pune

 DG NMCG Addressing the Gathering

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