Pune to host meeting of 95 river cities

DHARA which stands for Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers, the annual meeting of the members of the River Cities Alliance, is being organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga in association with National Institute of Urban Affairs from 13th to 14th February in Pune.

DHARA 2023 is being organised for Municipal Commissioners of the 95-member river to come up with possible learning solutions for urban river management, according to an official statement issued today.

‘International Case Studies’ to focus on Innovative River-related practices in countries like Denmark, reuse of used water in Israel, floodplain management in the Netherlands, river health monitoring in the USA, pollution control in Japan, and water sensitive city design in Australia will also be taken up for discussion.

• DHARA has strong synergies with Urban20 initiative under ambit of India’s G20 Presidency
• Day 2 of the event will witness a Yoga session & visit to Mulla Mutha riverfront
• PM laid foundation stone for a pollution abatement project for Mulla Mutha River in Pune in March 2022.
• River Cities Alliance started with 30 cities in 2021 and currently has 95 cities as members across India
• RCA was launched in 2021 as a dedicated platform for river cities across India to discuss & exchange information for sustainable management of urban rivers
• Expected outcome includes development of a compendium of technological solutions that cities may adopt for enhancing management of local rivers
• DHARA will focus on unaddressed issues & challenges for river management in cities and help in formulating an effective work plan

The session with Principal Secretaries (Urban Development) of selected States (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu) will incorporate a discussion on strengthening the agenda and set priorities pertaining to urban river management.