Re-envisioning Riverfronts: Ecological & Social Harmony 

India’s urban riverfront development projects prioritize aesthetics over ecology, disrupting river systems and displacing communities 

India’s urban landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by a surge in urban populations and an increasing need for water security amidst climate change. A prominent trend has emerged to ‘develop’ and ‘beautify’ urban riverfronts, often prioritizing aesthetics over ecological and social well-being. 

The Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project in Ahmedabad, Gujarat exemplifies this trend. Promoted to reconnect the city with its river, this project has instead exacerbated drought conditions and hindered groundwater recharge. Such cost-intensive riverfront development (RFD) projects frequently alter natural river courses and ecosystems, raising concerns about the allocation of public investment. Protests, legal battles, and preliminary studies have highlighted the ecological and social disasters these projects can cause.

Environmental activist Himanshu Thakkar emphasizes the importance of considering a river’s character, purpose, and cultural value, warning against prioritizing cosmetic beautification over genuine restoration.

Alternative approaches, such as Rights of Nature governance, could better serve environmental conservation and community interests. This approach recognizes the inherent rights of rivers to fulfill their ecological functions and flow freely, laying the groundwork for climate resilience and adaptation. Disturbing river ecologies disrupts the natural balance and also exacerbates climate risks, heightening the threat of disasters and endangering species, both human and non-human. Governance and policies need to prioritize inclusive and sustainable practices to maintain the delicate balance of river ecosystems, ensuring the well-being of both the environment and the communities that depend on rivers.  

Ecological and Social Fault Lines of Riverfront Development Projects 

Riverfront development is often seen as a way to reconnect urban residents with rivers, claiming to address environmental improvement, mitigate floods, clean and replenish rivers, and support social upliftment and sustainable development. However, these goals often come at the expense of disrupting the natural flow of the river. Such disruptions elevate flood risks, heighten vulnerability to climate-related hazards, and jeopardize aquatic biodiversity and the well-being of local communities. 

The livelihoods and shelters of millions of people are being displaced and river streams diverted, causing significant impacts on ecology, hydrology, and native biodiversity. For instance, the Sabarmati RFD project led to the relocation of around 5,000 families. Similarly, the transformation of the Gomti River in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh following riverfront development has resulted in a notable decline in fish species, significantly affecting the livelihoods of fisherfolk. 

The indiscriminate replication of the Sabarmati RFD model across more than 100 cities in India, without genuine stakeholder engagement, is encountering widespread resistance, as evidenced in cities like Pune, Kota, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. Such resistance has culminated in legal battles at the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and various State and Federal High Courts, indicating serious discontent and opposition to such projects. 

Initial findings from the compilation of ten RFD projects paint a concerning picture of widespread destruction affecting livelihoods, biodiversity, rivers, and public finances. The following India map illustrates RFDs in different cities with social, ecological, and economic concerns that are further elaborated in a detailed table below.

Importing European Models: The Misguided Approach to Indian Riverfront Development 

Many of India’s contemporary urban RFD projects are inspired by European models, such as those on the Thames and Seine rivers. However, these imported models fail to recognize the unique paths carved by Indian rivers. South Asian rivers often originate from mountains and carry significant silt and sedimentation, which is essential for maintaining ecological and social services and slowing down the flow of the rivers.

By 2025, it is anticipated that one out of every two Indians will live in cities.

Concrete and gray infrastructure in RFD models contradict efforts to revitalize rivers and mitigate urban flooding effectively. Rejuvenation of rivers and their surrounding public spaces is necessary beyond aesthetics. City riverfronts must be open public spaces allowing for social, cultural, and spiritual engagement with rivers. ‘What’ kind of river fronts are designed, and ‘who’ designs them for the benefit of ‘whom,’ is key to ensuring the enjoyment of public places by everyone. The current trend of RFD is catering to only particular aesthetics and sects of society. The booming real estate market (riverview apartments) and tourism along the riverfront mean that low-income residents, particularly those displaced by the project, no longer have equitable access to the river. Digvijay Singh, CEO of Indore Smart City, touts the Kahn River project’s success, citing a 40% rise in property prices while disregarding housing access for the marginalized. The social and ecological fault lines of such RFDs lead to exclusive access, further marginalizing those whose livelihoods depend on the rivers. 

Embracing the Rights and Ecological Flow of Rivers 

The Rights of Nature is emerging as a governance approach for protecting ecosystems and their inhabitants.

It recognizes nature, including rivers, as legal entities with intrinsic rights, akin to human rights, to protect them from environmental degradation and exploitation. This approach seeks to shift the legal paradigm from viewing rivers solely as resources for human use to recognizing them as living entities with their own rights. 

In India, the legal Rights of Nature movement stemmed from judicial decisions from several State High Courts, beginning with a landmark judgment in 2017 by the Uttarakhand State High Court granting legal recognition to the Yamuna and Ganga rivers. This recognition was soon extended to their tributaries and glaciers by another order from the same High Court. The Supreme Court later stayed this order, as the Uttarakhand Government argued for reversal of the order for reasons including the impractical imposition of duties on the rivers and concerns about transboundary jurisdictional issues. The movement, however, has continued to gain momentum, with other High Courts passing similar judgments for various natural subjects such as Animal Kingdom, Sukhna Lake, and Mother Nature. 

Historically, India has revered nature through customs and traditions, although many practices have now become symbolic.

Court rulings such as those from Uttarakhand may not offer immediate solutions to prevent the exploitation of natural resources, but they hold the potential to shift legislative paradigms towards prioritizing environmental protection over development projects. For example, local and Indigenous communities preserving ecosystems via practices such as protecting Sacred Groves Forest Rights Act (FRA), enacted in 2006. The FRA empowers tribal (Indigenous communities known as Adivasis) and other forest-dwelling communities to assert legal ownership over ancestral forest lands. It rectifies historical injustices by granting them rights previously denied, including management authority and access to forest resources.  

The rights of rivers include the right to flow freely without pollution and the right to flood their floodplains.

Implementing urban floodplain zoning and preventing encroachments in buffer zones are crucial steps to enable rivers to swell and shrink through changing seasons. The recent flooding of the Yamuna River in New Delhi serves as a significant lesson highlighting the importance of understanding floodplain dynamics and the potential hazards linked to altering the natural flow of rivers through concrete encroachments. 

Over the years, with an increasing number of dams for hydropower generation and the rising impacts of climate change, Indian rivers, especially in urban areas, face the dichotomy of water scarcity and flash flooding. The solution to both problems lies in ensuring that the ecological flow of rivers (linear, horizontal, and vertical) across all the seasons is maintained. It has been recognized and legally mandated by the National Green Tribunal for “all States to maintain a minimum environmental flow of 15-20% of the average lean season flow in their rivers.” While the minimum of 15-20% can be challenged itself, the recognition of maintaining the ecological flow of the river is a welcome decision.

Advocating Action for Harmonious Coexistence with Rivers 

Rivers are beautiful, life-giving, productive, self-restoring natural ecosystems on which our survival depends. They have inherent ecological functions, such as feeding and being fed by aquifers and providing a home to aquatic biodiversity. As city dwellers in rapidly urbanizing India, we must stand up for rivers against maladaptive practices that threaten water security, climate resilience, and equal access to rivers. 

To truly restore rivers and enjoy their beauty, we need to create and sustain democratic participatory processes that include mapping hydrology and stakeholders, including non-human entities. We need to successfully implement Rights of Nature by recognizing rivers’ right to exist and regenerate, as seen in the Ecuadorian Constitution, and protect the rights of local communities and Indigenous Peoples who have historically safeguarded nature. 

At the policy level, the River Cities Alliance in India serves as a platform for exchanging best practices and lessons among river cities. As the leader of the Global River City Alliance, India can demonstrate its leadership by setting a precedent for advocating a river-centric perspective and endorsing the rights of rivers as fundamental principles for the 275+ global cities within this alliance.

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This piece was originally published by Earth Law Centre on 25th April 2024.