The city focuses on holistic planning and management of all the water resources under its Urban River Management Plan
Aurangabad :-The Urban River Management Plan (URMP) for Aurangabad is a comprehensive effort towards holistic planning and management of all the water resources within the city. It focuses on the restoration of the Kham and Sukhna rivers, rejuvenation of the water bodies and revival of the lost water heritage structures, for ensuring water-sensitive development in the city.
The plan was launched by Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, during the annual event of the River Cities Alliance (RCA), DHARA 2023 at Pune, Maharashtra earlier this month. Providing a platform for the Commissioners, Executive Officers, and senior officials of RCA member cities to discuss and co-learn good practices for managing urban rivers, DHARA 2023 (Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers) was organised on 13-14th February in Pune, by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India.
Aurangabad is a member of the River Cities Alliance (RCA), a platform with more than 100 river cities in India, to ideate, discuss, and exchange information on aspects that are vital for the sustainable management of urban rivers. The RCA secretariat also provides dedicated technical and handholding support to the member cities as they implement interventions for river-sensitive development. As one of the activities under RCA, Aurangabad began the preparation of its URMP in July 2022.
The URMP Aurangabad is based on ‘A Strategic Framework for Managing Urban River Stretches: URBAN RIVER MANAGEMENT PLAN’ developed by NIUA in association with NMCG. It was prepared by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the Aurangabad Smart Cities Development Corporation Ltd. (ASCDCL), with support from NIUA and EcoSattva Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
The plan proposes a set of 21 tangible and practical actions, under a ten-point agenda of the URMP framework. While some of these interventions are planning oriented and conceptual, others are projects that can be directly implemented on ground. The plan suggests a number of strategies for monitoring and reducing the pollution load in the Kham and Sukhna river, by managing the solid waste and untreated discharge. It also suggests strategies for rejuvenation of water bodies, restoration of water heritage structures, management of aquifers, development of riparian stretches along the rivers and reuse of treated waste-water. A variety of eco-friendly riverfront projects have been proposed along the Kham and Sukhna river. Lastly, the plan focusses on models for strengthening the existing river-based sensitization programmes in the city, to enhance the river-people connect.
Arun Shinde (IAS), Additional CEO and Aditya Tiwari, Asst. Project Manager (Climate Change), Aurangabad Smart Cities Development Corporation Ltd. were present at the Pune event. Tiwari presented details of a number of other strategic engagements of the city under its larger water-centric agenda.
G Asok, Director General, NMCG lauded the efforts by Aurangabad Municipal Corporation as a case study for other RCA members to follow. He said, “The extraordinary efforts are evidence of the passion, determination, and dedication to water security. The comprehensive URMP has also demonstrated the value of teamwork and the task force model as all-encompassing approaches to river restoration.
ABOUT DHARA 2023
DHARA 2023, the two-day international meeting, which concluded on Tuesday evening, drew 300 people from river cities in India, including commissioners, additional commissioners, chief engineers, senior planners, academicians, water security experts, financial specialists, and others, to co-learn and discuss solutions for managing river stretches in their cities.
Presiding over the culminating session of DHARA 2023 on February 14, Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India said: “The RCA currently consists of 107 cities, including 16 SMART cities, which have connected 72 rivers across the nation. In these 107 cities, there are sewage treatment facilities in about 70 cities. Security of the 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. We anticipate being able to include 150 cities in our family by the time of the following DHARA meeting next year. We also need to spread the message of Swachh Dhara, Sampann Kinara to the citizens.”
Meanwhile, Gwalior has been chosen as the location for the following RCA international meeting, DHARA 2024, announced G Asok.
For more details, please contact Aparna Dwivedi at aparna@niua.org
About NIUA
Established in 1976, the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is India’s leading national think tank on urban planning and development. As a hub for the generation and dissemination of cutting-edge research in the urban sector, NIUA seeks to provide innovative solutions to address the challenges of a fast-urbanizing India, and pave the way for more inclusive and sustainable cities of the future. niua.org
