A compendium of 6 Case Studies of different Riverfront development in India
Riverfront projects disregard the fragile ecology of river estuaries and the livelihoods of fishing communities that rely on species thriving on diurnal salinity fluctuations. These projects disrupt natural ecosystems, leading to erosion and habitat destruction, encroaching upon fragile riverine ecologies.
Our compendium on Riverfront Projects in seven different Indian cities: Musi River in Hyderabad, Ganga River in Varanasi and Patna, Tapi River in Surat, Mula-Mutha River in Pune, Khan Saraswati River in Indore, and Yamuna River in Delhi. We aim to critically examines the state-led grey and blue infrastructure projects in these areas. The construction of these riverfront have vast impact on the local socio-ecology therefore causing huge losses of urban commons and grave climatic injustice.
PRC envisions building a citizen alternative to the existing model of riverfront development. Through grassroots and civil-society citizen-led groups, we emphasize respecting the natural flow of rivers and advocating for decentralized planning committees that empower citizen participation in decision-making processes, reflecting the concerns of the local socio-ecology of riverine landscapes.
We are thankful to our fellows who intensively researched the riverfront developments in cities across India. Thanks are due to Nikhil Sanjay Shah for the study on Surat, Akshita Rawat in Delhi, Raina Ghosh on Varanasi, Sanjeev in Hyderabad, Chayanika Iyer in Pune, Archana Singh in Patna and finally Prachi Satrawal for her study on Indore.
