Delhi to get urban river management plan for Yamuna's revival

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Aiming to revive the Yamuna and other water channels in Delhi, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is steering the development of an Urban River Management Plan (URMP) for the national capital, an official said on Friday.

The initiative seeks to redefine Delhi's rivers as vital ecosystems, paving the way for sustainable and inclusive urban river management in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, said the official from the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The URMP in Delhi will serve as a model for other metropolitan cities, anchoring the vision of resilient and river-sensitive urban development, said a statement.

The NMCG has also approved an annual master plan focusing on integrating river-sensitive urban planning in 145 growing cities.

The annual master plan for the River Cities Alliance (RCA) lays a roadmap of round-the-year capacity-building programmes, knowledge exchange platforms, development of technical tools, expert guidance and creation of Urban River Management Plans (URMPs).

Launched in 2021, the RCA is a pioneering initiative led by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

A major focus this year will be the promotion of river considerations within city master plans through the organisation of River-Sensitive Master Planning (RSMP) training programme across states, said a statement.

Simultaneously, to support the formulation of Urban River Management Plans (URMPs), the NMCG will conduct training sessions including onboarding programs specifically for RCA cities in Tamil Nadu, with further sessions planned for additional states, it said.

The year ahead will also see the development of 25 more URMPs as part of the first phase of a larger mission to create 60 such plans across India over the next two to three years.

Supported by the World Bank, this initiative marks a bold step in deepening river-sensitive urban governance. Steering Committees have already been constituted in states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal to facilitate plan formulation and guide implementation, said the statement.

--IANS

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