Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers (hereafter abbreviated as DHARA 2023) marks the first anniversary of RCA via an annual summit of the RCA member city representatives (Municipal Commissioners / Executive Officers) as an opportunity to spend dedicated time brainstorming and imbibing solutions for urban river management. DHARA 2023 has strong synergies with the Urban20 (U20) initiative under the ambit of India’s G20 Presidency. One of the thrust areas of U20 is to promulgate urban water security and healthy rivers have a vital role to play in enhancing the overall water security of the city.
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Key highlights
PM’s Message for DHARA 2023
Efforts by the River Cities Alliance (RCA) and partners coming together for DHARA 2023 were lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a message which was unveiled during the two-day meeting in Pune.
Jal Kalash Ceremony
A unique aspect of the inaugural ceremony ‘Jal Sangam’ saw municipal commissioners from RCA member cities bringing together jars of water from their respective city rivers. The water was brought together in five urns and further combined in a Kalash led by the Hon’ble Minister of Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as a show of the Alliance’s strength by
54 municipal commissioners.
Pune Declaration
A declaration was read out by Vikram Kumar, Commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation, which was signed by RCA members and participants aiming to ensure water security, rainwater harvesting (save the rain), and establishing a long-lasting relationship between people and rivers.
A ‘Swachh’ Partnership
During the two-day event, NIUA and NMCG partnered with SWaCH, a cooperative of waste pickers in Pune, and took a minimal waste approach through responsible collection and recycling.
Technology Exhibition
NIUA and NMCG invited unique and practical technological solutions for managing different aspects of urban river systems through an “open call for technology exhibition”.
15 entries got the chance to showcase their ideas to more than 300 participants including 100 representatives of the Urban Local Bodies, officials from various ministries, academic institutes, private sector investors, and donor agencies.
