Rejuvenating lakes and replenishing groundwater in cities

Waterbodies – rivers, lakes, tanks, ponds etc – have always been an inalienable part of many of our cities. A critical component of the human ecosystem, they have not only been a source of drinking water, but have also acted as sponges to recharge groundwater, supported biodiversity, provided livelihoods and performed the role of carbon sinks. Increasing, uncontrolled and unplanned urbanisation is driving many of these waterbodies towards extinction. Their watersheds and catchment areas are being destroyed and encroached upon; they are getting clogged with mountains of sewage and solid waste; their natural flow of water is obstructed leading to floods and water-logging. Most waterbody rejuvenation programmes focus only on beautification – without exploring long-term solutions for reviving the waterbodies.

With climate change emerging as a real threat, the world needs to work towards developing resilient cities that can withstand the increasing impacts. Cities must manage their resources judiciously and make deliberate efforts to conserve, replenish and reuse. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) invites applications for a specialised technical support workshop that will help stakeholders and interested participants do just that with respect to one critical resource: water. The workshop has been designed to help them map the gaps and challenges, plan for rejuvenation of lakes and other waterbodies in a city, map the local aquifers and devise measures to replenish the groundwater for a sustainable source of supply. An e-module on lake management will be developed post the technical workshop so as to capacitate the officials on right framework of lake management.

SUPPORTED BY THE NATIONAL MISSION FOR CLEAN GANGA (NMCG)

This workshop is a part of a CSE sub-programme aimed at building capacity of cities in the Ganga basin and making them water-sensitive. Under this, a series of interactions – from webinars, workshops and trainings to field exposure visits and knowledge conclaves – has been planned to engage with various state and municipal functionaries and other sector players. The sub-programme is supported by the NMCG, and is a part of the ongoing efforts by NMCG for ensuring convergence of Namami Gange with other national missions like AMRUT 2.0, Smart Cities, SBM 2.0, HRIDAY, NULM, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission and Jal Shakti Mission.

WORKSHOP IS OPEN TO

• Central/state/municipal functionaries (decision makers/managers and regulators)
• Engineers (civil/mech/env) or planners working with water supply and sewerage boards/ Jal Nigams or Jal Sansthans
• Functionaries dealing with AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission, Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban), Swachh Bharat Mission (U), Atal Bhujal Mission, Namami Gange etc.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS, PLEASE CONTACT WORKSHOP COORDINATOR

Vivek Kumar Sah
Programme Officer
Water Programme, CSE,
Email: vivek.sah@cseindia.org
Mob No: + 91- 7903143870