Overview – RCA

Government of India

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Government of India

About RCA

About us

Rivers are among the most productive natural ecosystems, providing various environmental, economic, and social benefits. Cities along the river banks or rivers flowing through them are distinctly placed to reap these benefits. For this, cities need to have a harmonious relationship with their rivers, where cities take care of rivers and in return, the rivers provide cities with manifold benefits.

The River Cities Alliance (RCA) has been conceptualized to help river cities in India maintain this symbiotic relationship with their rivers. Launched in November 2021 with 30 river cities, the RCA has now expanded to 145+ cities.

The RCA is currently being managed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Our Activities

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Capacity Building

Our Capacity Building programs are designed to equip urban local bodies (ULBs) with the necessary skills and knowledge for managing urban rivers.

Through workshops, training programmes, and certification courses, we aim to enhance the competencies of city officials in areas such as river-sensitive urban planning, pollution control, rejuvenating water bodies and wetlands,reuse strategies, developing ecofriendly riverfronts, enhacing river-related economy, and strengthening the river-cuty connect.

The programs are designed to foster in-depth understanding of river-related consideration and help implement sustainable practices across RCA member cities. This approach ensures a steady pipeline of qualified professionals ready to enhance urban local bodies (ULBs) with sustainable river management practices.

Technical Support

The Technical Support initiative under the River Cities Alliance focuses on providing on-demand sector-specific advise to member cities for river-related projects and initiatives in their cities. This includes consulting services from national and international experts on integrated urban water management, hydrology, urban planning, solid waste management, technological interventions, citizen enaggement, biodiversity management, and more. Through the techncial support, we aim to ensure that cities take up projects that have a robust scientific premise and are in line with contemporary scientifc practices.

Institutional Development

Institutional Development within RCA involves creating dedicated Urban River Cells/Units within ULBs, ensuring dedicated focus for urban river management. This includes the development of governance frameworks, capacity building of officials through certification modules, creating river-related positions with the ULB set uo, and fostering inter-departmental coordination. By institutionalizing river management within ULBs, we aim to create a premise for holistic and synergistic management of urban river ecosystems.

Knowledge Exchange & Networking

RCA’s Knowledge Exchange and Networking platform facilitates the sharing of best practices, experiences, and innovative solutions among member cities. Through annual summits, regional meetings, and exposure visits, we create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and collaboration. This platform also connects RCA cities with international experts and organizations, promoting global knowledge exchange and fostering a community of practice in urban river management.

Knowledge Creation and Documentation

RCA’s knowledge creation efforts are focused on developing frameworks, tools, toolkits, advisories, and documentation for river-sensitive planning and development in cities. This work follows a systems approach to address the environmental, economic, and social aspects of river management.

RCA also documents best practices in different cities to inform the planning of similar initiatives in other cities. The frameworks developed under RCA are intended to complement and work in synergy with existing city plans and ongoing missions. This approach focuses on both long-term interventions requiring transformative change and short-term interventions to address immediate challenges.

City Innovation Challenge

The city innovation challenges are compeitions organized for RCA member cities on different aspects of river management. Cities are encouraged to showcase and present their work through these competitions, based on which top performing cities are recognized and awarded.

Another aspect of this initiative is to invite member to submit project proposals on specific themes, and the most innovative and impactful projects are provided with funding to implement the projects.

Action Research

The action research within RCA focuses on solving real-life problems related to urban river management. The research also delving into stregnthening the the linkage between basin-wide risks and city-level initiatives from environmental, economic, and social perspectives.

The research is undertaken on demand-driven themes such as assessment and management of riverine islands, legal and regulatory instruments for river management, eco-friendly riverfront development, citizen engagement models, among others.

Exposure Visits

Exposure visits play a crucial role in promoting peer-to-peer learning among member cities. Recognising the significance of collaborative learning and sustainable urban river management development, such visits are organized to cities that have excellence in various aspects of river management.

These visits offer an opportunity for cities to share best practices, experiences, and innovations, thereby strengthening their collective ability to tackle the challenges of urban river sustainability. By enabling direct observation and interaction, exposure visits help city officials and stakeholders gain practical insights and inspiration to implement effective river management strategies in their own regions.

Outreach and Advocacy

The River Cities Alliance (RCA) conducts outreach and advocacy through various initiatives. This includes providing opportunities for member cities to participate in forums at national, state, and city levels, and actively seeks feedback from cities on the knowledge frameworks developed under RCA.

The RCA platform disseminates pertinent information through webinars, member groups, social media, and its official website about new engagements under its partnership.