April 28, 2025
Thematic Focus: Urban Development & Environment | GS Paper 2 & 3

🕊️ Intro Whisper:

If a city forgets its river, it forgets its rhythm.

🔹 Key Highlights: River Cities Alliance (RCA) — A Plan for River-Centric Urbanism

• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved an annual roadmap for RCA activities.
• RCA is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
• Formed in 2021, RCA now includes 145 cities aiming for river-sensitive urban development.
• Core themes:
  • Networking – City-to-city collaboration
  • Capacity Building – ULB training, governance
  • Technical Support – Tools, resources, expert guidance
• Urban River Management Plans (URMPs) integrate rivers into environmental, economic, and urban planning frameworks.
  • 5 URMPs already done; target is 60 URMPs across India.
• Training & Awareness: Masterclass sessions, DHARA events, exposure visits, and weekly case studies planned.
• Financial/Technical support for ULBs to implement URMPs effectively.
• Steering Committees formed to localize implementation — e.g. Delhi’s URMP focuses on treating rivers as ecosystems.

🧭 Concept Explainer:

The River Cities Alliance (RCA) envisions an urban future that coexists with water bodies, rather than pushing them to the peripheries. URMPs under this initiative treat rivers not as drains or boundaries but as living ecosystems that deserve integration into the city’s identity, economy, and governance systems.

RCA enables cities to learn from each other, co-create solutions, and build governance systems that respect water as a public commons.

🧾 GS Mapping:

• GS Paper 2: Governance | Urban Local Bodies | Institutional Frameworks
• GS Paper 3: Environment | Water Resource Management | Sustainable Urbanization

💠 A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk:

“A city that protects its river writes a hymn for the generations yet to arrive.”