18-Dec-2022: 7th edition of India Water Impact Summit Concludes

The 7th edition of the India Water Impact Summit concluded on 17th December 2022 after 3 days of fruitful deliberations on important aspects of water conservation and river rejuvenation, with special emphasis on revival of small rivers for the protection of large basins. On the third and final day of the 7th India Water Impact Summit, experts from water, environment and administrative sectors unanimously consented to an urgent need of forming a National River Framework in the country, which would determine the parameters for monitoring river health, process and responsibility. All experts were unanimous that the direction of river health cannot be ascertained based on only biochemical parameters. Condition of aquatic life present in river can be an indicator of river health. In this process, the indigenous species of aquatic life must be included rather than the exotic species which have been developed in the river for commercial purposes.

• DG, NMCG presides over the valedictory session of the 7th Edition of India Water Impact Summit
• Consensus over need to form a National River Framework among all stakeholders
•  A strong need to establish a system for exchange of official information in water-related issues felt
• DG, NMCG emphasized on ground implementation of the findings

The valedictory session was presided over by Shri G. Asok Kumar, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). Prof. Vinod Tare, cGanga moderated the session. DG, NMCG re-emphasized to shift the focus to implementation and hoped that by next positive changes would be seen on ground. “The deliberations have enabled us to identify the areas we have to work upon. Now, it is time to implement and see results on ground.” He said that water in India has come of age and in the past 6-7 years, there has been better awareness on water related issues in the country. “Water is crucial for the existence of mankind and is finally getting the respect and value it deserves,” he said, adding, “We all can see that, now, a lot of focus is on water-related issues even at the district administration level which was not the case about a decade ago.”

He said that Namami Gange has taken the lead in water management, circular economy, resource recovery, ensuring rivers are not polluted, and take initiatives such as river-city alliance that are central to include protection of rivers at the urban planning level. He also noted that with NMCG’s initiative, water is now being looked at as a resource for increasing GDPs of local districts through tourism, healthcare, etc.

Commenting on the theme of this year’s India Water Impact Summit, Shri Kumar said that, rightly, a lot of discussions took place on revival of small rivers which is crucial to rejuvenate large basins. He also emphasized on the need to break silos and view water as one resource. “Water has no geographical boundaries and silofication of water needs to be broken down,” he added. He spoke about work being done in the direction of monetization of wastewater and sludge, natural farming, livelihood generation etc. under Arth Ganga to make Namami Gange a self-sustainable model.

Moderating the session, Prof. Tare noted that integration and coordination of sector-wise programmes is as important as the implementation of projects with sector specific knowledge and expertise. The deliberations highlighted that the bottom-up approach (community-driven small river basin committees) with large basin and national level coordination is immensely significant.

On the concluding day of the Summit, Session A3 was centred on the ‘Formulation and Execution of River Monitoring Programmes’. The objective of the session was to determine challenges in river restoration and conservation programmes. Session E2 was on the ‘Impact of Land use on Rejuvenation of Small Rivers’. The session highlighted how the health of the smallest stream has a ripple effect on the next order stream, and is responsible for bringing a rich variety of aquatic biodiversity. The deliberations showed the significance of drafting policies, interventions, and strategies to safeguard the small rivers from adverse effects of poor land-use planning and development. Session A4 was themed on the Information/Data Collation, Utilization and Dissemination Strategy, while Session C5 was on Physical / Hybrid Model.

The sessions also showed that large basin/national level knowledge based organisations should play the leadership role for gathering information about health status of all the rivers in a sustained manner. It was observed that reclamation of resources from wastes and its reuse in restoration and conservation of natural resources (river systems and soils) should be valued and appropriately accounted in economic sense for creating novel financing models/instruments. Moreover, river health needs to be used as an important criterion for evaluating the progress of RRC programmes as well as the status of rivers, instead of the designated Best Use Water Quality criteria. Deliberations were also done on removing the bottlenecks in river restoration. Three main points emerged from discussions today included change in land use, stopping exploitation of ground water, sand mining, and mixing of solid and liquid waste in rivers. In another session, data collection and exchange of information. A need to establish a system for exchange of official information in water-related issues was also strongly felt during the afternoon session.

Representatives of European Union, Norway, Germany and Slovenia participated in the discussion on the international track at the summit. The international participated unanimously agreed to the fact that river and basin management under geographical diversity makes India a natural laboratory of river science. International participants observed that the way work is going on in the direction of river restoration, one can say that India would emerge as world teacher of river science. International representatives stressed that a COP conference on water should also be started on international level. The theme of the 7th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS 2022) is ‘Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a Large Basin’ with emphasis on the select aspects of ‘Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps’ - People, Policy, Plan, Programme and Project.

16-Dec-2022: India Water Impact Summit: Day 2 Witnesses Wide Ranging Discussions On Restoration of Rivers & Conservation of Water

Day 2 of the India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) being organised from 15th to 17th December at New Delhi witnessed wide ranging discussions today on various aspects of river conservation and restoration in particular and water sector in general. The Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Shri G. Asok Kumar presided over a session on ‘Lessons from Various River Related Programmes’. The session started with the invocation of the 5Ps which are essential towards river conservation and restoration efforts. Other panelists included Mr. D. Thara, Joint Secretary (AMRUT), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Dr. Sejal Worah, Program Director, WWF India, Prof. Vinod Tare, Founding Head cGanga, IIT Kanpur and Dr. Rajeev Sharma, Chief Advisor, Telangana. Other sessions on Day 2 included ‘Economics and Financing of Sludge’ co-chaired by Shri Himansu Badoni, Executive Director (Projects), NMCG and ‘Economics and Financing of Water Recycling and Water Trading Market’ co-chaired by Shri Bhaskar Dasgupta, Executive Director (Finance), NMCG. A session on ‘Establishing Present Condition and Norms for Bio-physical status of Healthy Rivers in Different Stretches from Origin to Destination, and setting the Milestones’ was also organised.

Discussions on the 2nd day also deliberated on the economic, social, cultural, aesthetic and ecological values of rivers including the intrinsic values that are not dependent on people’s will. Deliberations showed that for evaluation of the actual state and measuring the changes in the rivers and streams, the periodic assessment of their health is essential. The focus of this Summit is to pave the way for mapping, integrating and assessing different scenarios/aspects of river health. It was proposed in the Session that there should be a National Framework for River Systems (river, water bodies and catchment), so that all the relevant programmes and projects working towards river and water conservation can benefit from the informed decision-making.

Addressing the gathering, Shri G. Asok Kumar talked about the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign of the National Water Mission to emphasize on the significance of rainwater harvesting in rejuvenating the water bodies as the water stored in the flood banks help in restoring water and maintaining e-flow. He noted that water has no political and geographical boundary and emphasized the importance of river-people connect for the sustained development and economic growth of river rejuvenation sector. “People's participation is essential and there is a need to transform Jal Andolan into Jan Andolan,” he added.

Shri Kumar noted that there is an urgent need for the protection and rejuvenation of small rivers in India and acknowledged the important role being played through MGNREGA in reviving small rivers and creating water harvesting structures for sustenance. He said that a lot of good work is being done at district level in this direction and in the case of Namami Gange Programme, the active involvement of District Ganga Committees are manifesting in positive results in the Ganga Basin.

He noted that NMCG is working towards institutional building and urban river intervention plans. With the formation of the river-city alliance, river-centric planning is being given priority by the urban planners. He reiterated that evoking respect towards rivers, especially in the younger generation, will go a long way in protecting our water resources.

Mr. D. Thara, Joint Secretary (AMRUT) called for a need to understand the issue of water management from all perspectives and urged active involvement from various stakeholders in achieving success. Dr. Sejal Worah, Program Director, WWF India spoke on the importance of institutional mechanisms needed for rejuvenating small rivers. She noted that citizen engagement, creating a knowledge base that is open, transparent and shared, and deciding water tradeoffs are the crucial areas that needs to be looked into.

Prof. Vinod Tare focused on the significance of political will, public spending, partnership, participation of people, and perseverance to progress on this path and create impact towards effective water management. He noted that the Summit is bringing together individuals who are implementing major programs in the water sector. Dr. Rajeev Sharma, Chief Advisor, Telangana, noted that biodiversity in the rivers need to be looked into so as to improve the ecology of the water bodies.

15-Dec-2022: Union Minister for Jal Shakti Inaugurates The 7th Edition of India Water Impact Summit

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on 15th December 2022 inaugurated the 7th Edition of the India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) at New Delhi. The theme of this year’s Summit is ‘Restoration and Conservation of Small Rivers in a Large Basin’ with emphasis on the select aspects of ‘Mapping and Convergence of 5Ps’ - People, Policy, Plan, Programme and Project. In the three-day Summit (15th to 17th December 2022) experts from the country and abroad will discuss ways in which small rivers in large river basins can be protected.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said deliberations on issues of water and rivers is equivalent to discussing the future of human beings and the crisis facing them. He said that the way the Namami Gange Mission has worked for the conservation of rivers in the last 7 years is commendable. “In accordance with the vision of the Prime Minister, Namami Gange has become a mass movement and people from all walks of life are contributing in their own way to the cause.”

He added that every river in India has been given the status of a Mother and India has a rich tradition of revering and respecting Mothers. He said that India’s sages and ancestors held traditional wisdom and awakened the spirit of water conservation among the people through scriptures. Shri Shekhawat added that the Hon. Prime Minister espoused the concept of Arth Ganga that primarily means establishing people-river connect through the bridge of economy. Expressing his happiness on the work being done under Namami Gange in a time-bound manner under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, he said that the infrastructure is being created towards the rejuvenation of River Ganga and its tributaries and the positive results are being nationally as well as globally recognized.

Shri Shekhawat express his happiness on the fact that experts from the country and abroad are participating in this India Water Impact Summit. “The India Water Impact Summit strengthens India's international cooperation in the water sector and the suggestions received in the Summit would be beneficial in informed decision-making,” he said.

Commenting on the theme of the 7th Edition of the IWIS, Shri Shekhawat said that small rivers and rivulets have been an integral part of India’s tradition and culture and it is most opportune that necessary deliberations will take place on how to revive small rivers through 5Ps’ - People, Policy, Plan, Programme and Project – to rejuvenate large basins like River Ganga.

Shri Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti began his address by outlining the focus of the Summit, which is to restore and observe small rivers in the large basins and emphasizing on important aspects of small river systems. He noted how small rivers tend to be neglected due to the focus on conserving and restoring large rivers. He reflected on the hard work being done by NMCG in expediting the work towards Ganga Rejuvenation, which can be seen in the completion of projects in a time-bound manner significantly improving the water quality. He said that the focus now is on the entire ecosystem of rivers in India. He noted that the Summit would deliberate upon the important aspects of small river restoration projects. He called upon the need for different institutions, government bodies and private individuals to work together towards river rejuvenation. Giving the example of Hindon river and pointing out multiple dependencies in carrying out the task of reviving small rivers, he said that a plan has been prepared to rejuvenate Hindon by making industries and other stakeholders key partners. He hoped that the deliberations would come up with recommendations to help forming a framework for restoring small rivers in the country. He hoped this could serve as a tool kit for states, district administrations, and various ministries, which can help restore the country's whole ecosystem.

Prof. Vinod Tare, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Kanpur, said that Ganga is not just a river but one of the country's most sacred rivers. That is why the conservation and promotion of Ganga is the most important task. In such a situation, it becomes necessary that its tributaries and small rivers should be rejuvenated. He noted that it is impossible to achieve the Ganga conservation goal without rejuvenating small rivers. He suggested the projects being run by different organizations and institutions should work in collaboration to accelerate the rejuvenation of small rivers in the big basin. He emphasized the need to create our own conservation benchmarks to evaluate external technology and ensure its usefulness for the country's rivers and conservation programmes.

Shri D.P. Mathuria, Executive Director (Technical), NMCG gave the welcome address and reflected upon NMCG’s journey towards water conservation. He said there had been a significant improvement in the water quality of river Ganga. He said that several projects are various stages of execution and commissioning of assets will further improve the river's water quality and its tributaries. He noted how the District Ganga Committees had become an important institution for coordinating various activities for rejuvenating the rivers, especially small rivers. He outlined how the Summit can provide suitable technological models for implementing various activities by leveraging financial resources from various schemes.

During the event, PTB, an online learning course of quality control for Monitoring Water Quality Analysis was also launched by the Hon. Union Minister. It is created by one of NMCG’s international partners, the German National Metrology Institute PTB. This online learning platform aims to strengthen quality infrastructure for water monitoring of the river Ganga. This will be done through the data collected in the river basin of Ganga to monitor water quality based on recognized quality-assurance measures. The online training will support the efforts aimed towards achieving this objective.

The Hon. Minister also released River Atlas Journey: Reports including Uttarakhand River Atlas, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi: River Basins Atlas, Yamuna River Basin Atlas, Atlas of Rivers in Delhi: Version 1, Atlas of Rivers in Uttar Pradesh: Version 1, Hindon River Basin Atlas, Kali East River Basin Atlas: Version 1, Ramganga River Basin Atlas: Version 1, Gomti River Basin Atlas: Version 1, Ghaghara River Basin Atlas: Version 1, and Novel Sensor-based Water Quality Data of Rivers, Drains and Industrial Discharges: How Reliable Are They For Public Purposes?

Day 1 also marked sessions on ‘Setting the Goal to Determine Healthy Status of the River’, Hybrid Model for International Companies’ and ‘International Collaboration’.

14-Dec-2021: 6th India Water Impact Summit Concludes

The 6th Edition of the India Water Impact Summit based on theme for River Resources Allocation- Planning and Management at the Regional Level concluded on its 5th day and final day today. The valedictory session was conducted in a hybrid mode by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), New Delhi and Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga), Kanpur. The session was graced by the Minister of State, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Shri Bisweshwar Tudu & Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG, Prof Vinod Tare, Founding Head, c-ganga and Ms. Yamini Aiyar President and Chief Executive of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) among others.

During the session, Shri Bisweshwar Tudu, Minister of State, Ministry of Jal Shakti congratulated NMCG and c-Ganga for the remarkable effort of organizing the 6th IWIS and applauded the great participation and successful deliberation and discussion by the prominent experts from Indian and International diaspora. He emphasized on the importance of implementing the outcomes of these discussions and focus on more practical approaches. Shri Tudu concluded by saying that he is hopeful that next year’s IWIS will also bring more interesting topics and discussions for the better management, planning and protection of rivers and its resources as well.

Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, DG, NMCG began his address by highlighting the scientific knowledge and approach behind the development of the Namami Gange Programme. The Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) developed by the 7 IIT consortium has given a very strong background and understanding of the Ganga Basin. He said, “River Ganga is a lifeline, it exists in the thinking of each one of us. In this summit, we have had many international sessions also, as the topic is not only limited to India but also concerns with rivers and regions across the globe. While starting the Namami Gange Programme, Aviral Dhara and Nirmal Dhara missions came along to maintain the quantity and quality of the flow. Following the vision of the Prime Minister, the mission was incomplete without the people river connect and that was brought in through the concept of Jan and Gyan Ganga”. He also said that the MoU with the Centre for Policy and Research (CPR) will help Namami Gange in policy and governance perspectives related to river rejuvenation and conservation of river Ganga.

Prof. Vinod Tare, Founding Head, Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (c-Ganga) and Professor, IIT Kanpur talked about the overall IWIS deliberations and discussions on the regional scale of river Ganga. He mentioned,  “It is our responsibility to maintain the ecology of the rivers and how we can deliver diligently to those responsibilities is something being discussed in the Science and Technology, and Policy & Governance sessions”. He said,  “Over five days of events, more than 35 panelists from different countries, regions and sectors contributed to the success of the 6th IWIS”.

During the session a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed MoU between NMCG and the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi - a premier public policy research think tank. Both organizations shall work together to collaborate in research and knowledge production activities for rejuvenating rivers in India and informed policy thinking and institutional transformation for enduring outcomes for long-term impact.

The day witnessed the launch of four important releases which include the ‘Uttarakhand River Atlas’, ‘Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River Basin Atlas’, ‘Yamuna River Basin Atlas’ and the ‘Samarth Ganga Report’. Additionally, the ‘Leather Trade Information Portal’, which is a unique digital portal developed by Namami Gange and Solidaridad was also launched. The portal is a solution-oriented tool which will help the tanneries to self-assess their environmental performance.

The last day of the Summit focused on the deltaic region of the River basin and witnessed special addresses on Ecology and River Flow in Sundarbans and River Islands by Dr Anurag Danda, Director, Sundarbans Program Office, WWF- India and Shri Manu Bhatnagar, Principal Director, Natural Heritage Division, INTACH respectively. A special address on River Rejuvenation through MGNREGA was also given by Shri Yogesh Kumar, Additional Commissioner, MGNREGA-UP. Shri Mike Pandey, three-time recipient of the Green Oscar Award also joined the session at the Summit through a video message on ‘Sunderbans – A fragile Ecosystem’.

The 6th Edition of the Summit was based on theme for River Resources Allocation- Planning and Management at the Regional Level. The session had adopted a regional level approach for the Summit and was categorized into overall basin and subsequently in upper, middle, lower and deltaic region of the Ganga basin. The various sessions organized included the need for identification and conducting systematic assessment and valuation of river resources, potential impact of water efficient solutions in maintaining the overall water balance of the country, implementation challenges of the river resources allocation plans, the need to inculcate a scientific understanding of rivers for developing sustainable policies and encourage the creation of circular water economy through water recycling and establishing a water trading market, amongst others. Each day also had dedicated session for international collaborations which are underway. These include countries such as Norway, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and EU and its member states.

The 5-day Summit also witnessed the signing of an MoU between C-Ganga and Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) for the development of a sludge management framework.  Similarly, two MoUs have also been signed with Innovation Centre Denmark and UPS Hungary to encourage the sharing of knowledge and increase participation of Hungarian industry in the Ganga River Basin Restoration and Conservation Program. An MoU between C Ganga and British water was also signed to promote the development of 21st century infrastructure in water and the environment sector.

10-Dec-2020: Union Jal Shakti Minister inaugurates 5th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) with focus on Arth Ganga-River conservation synchronized development

The 5th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS), organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga)began today with the theme of comprehensive analysis and holistic management of local rivers and water bodies with focus on Arth Ganga - river conservation synchronised development.

The summit was inaugurated by the Jal Shakti Minister, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. He said that Namami Gange is one of the largest, holistic and successful river conservation programs in the country which is laying down a model framework for river rejuvenation. The decisions in this program are based on studying the unsatisfactory results of previous programs. Sharing his Government’s vision to establish an eco-system where economic development goes hand-in-hand with ecological conservation, he said, “This summit is aimed at discussing and disseminating the needs for the modalities of embracing Arth Ganga and the vision of the Prime Minister in sectors that closely interweave with river conservation.” Speaking about knowledge transfer and experience sharing between countries he said, “The 5th IWIS will forge greater interaction between investors and stakeholders in the water sector and promote international cooperation between India and many foreign countries for water and river management.”

MOS, Ministry of Jal Shakti , Shri Ratan Lal Kataria stressed that the Government is working towards sustainable development. “This can be seen from the fact that all the sewage treatment projects have been developed by keeping future capacity in mind,” he said.

Emphasizing the need for water use efficiency Shri. U. P. Singh, Secretary, Jal Shakti Ministry, said “There is huge scope of water conservation both at the demand side and supply side management and is required to rejuvenate the river.” He proposed “5 Rs” for waste water management which are recycle, reuse, reduce, recharge (ground water) and respect for water.

Acknowledging the contribution of IITs in shaping and modelling the Namami Gange program, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG said, “As part of Gyan Ganga initiative, we are engaging with scientists and researchers at the national and international level, to gain from their knowledge and experience.” He shared that the Summit will try to discuss and address issues of Agriculture, Human Habitation, both urban and rural, on banks of rivers, Tourism, Energy and Flood Management. Prof. Vinod Tare, IIT Kanpur expressing their intentions to work towards implementation of the Prime Minister’s vision of Arth Ganga on the ground said, “River conservation itself is an economic activity giving employment to many and is contributing to the GDP.” He added that Ganga represents all rivers and water. Hence, learnings from Ganga rejuvenation would help in management of other rivers and water bodies also.

The summit IWIS which is organised by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and Center for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies will continue till 15th December and will bring together various stakeholders to discuss, debate and develop model solutions to some of the biggest water related issues in the country.

4-Dec-2018: India Water Impact Summit-2018 to be held from 5th December

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate India Water Impact Summit 2018, being jointly organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (cGanga) from 5-7 December 2018 in New Delhi.

The India Water Impact Summit is an annual event where stakeholders get together to discuss, debate and develop model solutions for some of the biggest water related problems in the country. The discussions this year will be on rejuvenation of the Ganga River Basin. There will be multi-country dialogue on the subject, with showcasing of technological innovations, research, policy frameworks and funding models from India and abroad. A number of Indian Central Government Ministries as well as all key decision makers responsible for delivering the rejuvenation of the Ganga will also be present at the Summit.

The efforts may take various forms including (but not limited to): data collection (sensors, LIDAR, modelling etc.), hydrology, e-flows, agriculture, waste water and more.

The Summit will focus on three key aspects:

1. Spotlight on 5 states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi and Bihar. The objective is to showcase the efforts and works going on within the respective states.
2. Ganga Financing Forum: The 2018 Summit also introduces the inaugural Ganga Financing Forum that will bring a number of institutions to a common knowledge, information and partnership platform. The Hybrid Annuity Model has redefined the economic landscape of water and waste-water treatment in India. All tenders have been successfully bid out and financial closures being achieved. Additionally, the Government is also now encouraging development of smaller decentralised waste water treatment projects. The Financing Forum will bring together financial institutions and investors interested in Namami Gange programmes.
3. Technology and Innovation: Implementation of the pilot/demonstration programme known as the Environment Technology Verification (ETV) process. This will provide an opportunity to technology and innovation companies from around the world to showcase their solutions for addressing the problems prevalent in the river basin.

Nearly 200 domestic and international participants from nearly 15 countries and more than 50 Central, State and Municipal Government representatives are likely to participate in the summit. There will be sessions on Afforestation and Biodiversity, Urban River/Water Management Plans, Creating a Global Ecosystem for financing the Ganga Rejuvenation Programme and tapping into global capital markets for long term project finance.