Focus: GS II: Government Policies and Interventions
Why in News?
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in association with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) organized the ‘River-Cities Alliance (RCA) Global Seminar: Partnership for Building International River-Sensitive Cities’.
About River-Cities Alliance
- The River-Cities Alliance (RCA) is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in India.
- The RCA’s main goal is to promote sustainable development in river cities by connecting them and focusing on river-centric initiatives.
- One of the Alliance’s primary objectives is to provide a platform for sharing best practices in managing urban rivers through events such as the RCA Global Seminar.
- The Alliance emphasizes networking, capacity building, and technical support to achieve its goals.
- The RCA began with 30 member cities in November 2021 and has since expanded to include 110 river cities across India and one international member city from Denmark. In February 2023, the RCA held a meeting called DHARA 2023, which included sessions on international best practices and examples for urban river management.
Objective:
- Provide a platform for Indian cities to learn new approaches and practices for urban river management through knowledge exchange.
- Offer international cities the opportunity to learn about experiences of Indian cities in urban river management that may be relevant to their contexts.
About National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a society on under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
- The government had set up the Clean Ganga Fund in 2014 – Using the funded money to finance NMCG (National Mission for Clean Ganga 2011), cleaning the river, setting up Waste Treatment Plants, Conservation of river biodiversity and related R&D projects.
- NMCG is the implementation wing of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council NGC).
The NMCG now has the status of an Authority and its key focus would be maintaining required ecological flows in the Ganga, abate pollution through planning, financing and execution of programmes including that of –
- Augmentation of Sewerage Infrastructure
- Catchment Area Treatment
- Protection of Floodplains
- Creating Public Awareness
Objectives :
- The mission incorporates rehabilitating and boosting the existing STPs and instant short-term steps to curb pollution at exit points on the riverfront in order to check the inflow of sewage.
- To maintain the continuity of the water flow without changing the natural season variations.
- To restore and maintain the surface flow and groundwater.
- To regenerate and maintain the natural vegetation of the area.
- To conserve and regenerate the aquatic biodiversity as well as the riparian biodiversity of the river Ganga basin.
- To allow participation of the public in the process of protection, rejuvenation and management of the river.
About National Institute of Urban Affairs
- The National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is an institute in New Delhi, India that focuses on research, training, and information dissemination in urban development and management.
- It was established in 1976 as an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
- The Institute is supported by various organizations concerned with urban issues, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, State Governments, and urban and regional development authorities.
