Union Jal Shakti Ministry sets in motion process to evolve integrated river basin management in eastern, north-eastern parts

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Septemeber 4

The Union Jal Shakti Ministry has set in motion the process to evolve an integrated river basin management on scientific lines in the Eastern and North-Eastern parts of India.

It has roped in the South Asian Institute for Advanced Research Development (SAIARD), an autonomous body which has headquarters in Kolkata, and National Institute for Urban Affairs (NIUA), a think-tank of the Urban Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) of the Union Jal Shakti Ministry has signed an MoU with the NIUA. Another MoU has been signed between SAIARD and NIUA under the overview of NMCG in the presence of its (NMCG) Director-General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra.

In essence, SAIARD and NIUA will pool their intellectual resources and provide inputs to NMCG, which has a mandate regarding all aspects  relating to Namami Gange, cleaning of the holy Ganges, including projects relating to it. 

"Both NMCG and SAIARD will work together to create and enhance capacity building on integrated river basin management, with a focus on geospatial technology in riverine ecosystems," Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said.

Mishra said that with the signing of this MoU, SAIARD woud also henceforth be considered as the regional capacity building center for NMCG in the eastern region.

The Ministry has put the lens on Ganga stretch in the State of  West Bengal as well as other rivers in it. SAIARD  has domain knowledge with regard to the state.

The areas of collaboration between the NMCG and SAIARD include conducting studies pertaining to diverse thematic areas in the field of integrated river basin management with an emphasis on management of water, waste water and integrated urban water management for the development of sustainable practices for rejuvenation of river and water systems.

Development of  a dedicated GIS application-based river research centre in the eastern and north-eastern region and a digital river library, river museum and online news portals would be other areas of collaboration.

Additionally, NMCG is working with NIUA to develop river-sensitive master plans and urban river management plans.

In this regard, SAIARD and NIUA will work together to implement all kinds of capacity building activities which include the development and sharing of knowledge products for concerned stakeholders for mainstreaming climate resilience.