The document discusses riverfront development, emphasizing its importance for urban beautification, recreation, and community cohesion. It covers specific projects like the Mithi Riverfront in Mumbai and the planned Yamuna Riverfront in Delhi, highlighting challenges and criticisms surrounding these initiatives. Concerns about environmental impact, flooding, and displacement of local communities are raised, particularly regarding the replication of models like the Sabarmati River development.

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RIVER-FRONT DEVELOPMENT
- By Rohit Kumar Singh
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2. INDEX
SR.
NO.
CONTENTS PAGE
1. Introduction 3
2. What is river-front? 4
3. Who could use it? 5
4. Why do we need to develop river-fronts? 6
5. Objective of development 7
6. Key themes for developing
river-fronts
8
7. Major key themes for
developing river-fronts.
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8. Aspects for evaluating the efficiency of the development of the
river-fronts.
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9. Mithi Riverfront Development 17
10. Yamuna Riverfront Development inspired from Sabarmati model 202
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3. INTRODUCTION
 What is River-Front?
 Who Could Use It ?
 Why do we need to develop River-Fronts?
 How could this development be optimum?
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4. WHAT IS RIVER-FRONT?
A riverfront is the Region along a river.
Region (Spatial/Administrative) :
 Is it the banks that belong to the city land, or islands located within the river.
 Near or far from city centre and major squares, districts/cities/countries does
it pass through.
River:
 3D space, has length, width and depth.
 Branches/no branches - strategically located lands.
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5. WHO COULD USE IT?
 Any person/ country can have access to its banks, islands or water.
 Ability to have access to use an area is restrained by (public/private) land-use
or (poor/strong) accessibility.
 Ex. Dahab island
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6. WHY DO WE NEED TO DEVELOP RIVER-
FRONTS?
 Today many riverfronts are a staple of modernism and city beautification.
 Minimum avenues for recreation and open green spaces.
 Affects the feel of belonging, and the social cohesion within a community.
 City image-branding.
 Often in larger cities that border a river, the riverfront will be lined with
marinas, docks, trees, or minor attractions.
 Historic documentation
 Riverine tourism on its banks,
 Alternative mean of transportation.
 Human/environmental connections
 Sustainability of place & maintenance of river bank. 6
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7. MITHI RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
 Stretch of 18 km of Mithi River flows through city of Mumbai. Course of Mithi
has been modified throughout the city to host range of activities. On 26 July
2005, the river flooded some of the most densely populated areas claiming
nearly 1000 lives.
 After these catastrophic floods, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
(MCGM) and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)
made a plan to “restore” the river. BMC and MMRDA’s definition of restoration
involves desilting, beautification and building of a retaining wall. Stretch of
4.5 km of the total six km stretch of the river that falls within MMRDA’s
jurisdiction is covered with mangroves. MMRDA has planned to beautify the
stretch of remaining 1.5 km (10 Ha) which lies right amidst mangroves by
developing a promenade.
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8. MITHI RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
 MMRDA plans developing this project on a PPP (Public Private Partnership)
basis. Interestingly, the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Foundation and Standard
Chartered bank have been selected for this project.
 As per the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) of the area, the proposed
Mithi Riverfront Development Project falls in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) II
and III. The proposal was presented to CRZ authority in its 82nd meeting on
10th June, 2013. CRZ authority has not allowed any reclamation or
construction activities in this stretch. For Widening, lengthening &
reconstruction of the existing bridge CRZ has referred the proposal to MoEF
and asked MMRDA to take prior permission of High Court if the proposal
involves destruction of mangroves.
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9. MITHI RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
 Observer Research
Foundation, a private, not for
profit organization (funded by
Reliance India) from Mumbai
has come up with a study that
recommends a 21-point
programme for reclaiming the
Mithi, envisaging a single and
unbroken river-park corridor
spanning across the entire 18-
km length of the Mithi with
dedicated bicycle tracks,
gardens, amphitheatres,
sports and recreation.
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10. YAMUNA RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
INSPIRED FROM SABARMATI MODEL
 Recently the newly elected BJP led Central Government sent a team of
bureaucrats to Gujarat to study the feasibility of replicating the successful model
of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project for cleaning the Yamuna. Despite
the concerns about flooding of Yamuna, the team is exploring ways of replicating
Sabarmati Model. In 2009, the Sheila Dikshit administration was also planning
channelizing the Yamuna and putting up a waterfront like Paris and London with
recreational facilities, parking lots and promenades etc.
 Reclamation of the floodplains to create a concrete riverfront, like in Ahmedabad,
could be ecologically unsound and even dangerous for Delhi that is already
extremely vulnerable to floods. The sediment load in Yamuna is very high. The
non-channelized river rises by over four metres during peak monsoon flooding.
Risk of flooding will increase multifold for a channelized river. The committee
pointed out that recreational spots located in active floodplain areas would kill
the river and cause floods in the city. About the Sabarmati Model Being followed,
CR Babu, Chair of the committee said: “There is no Sabarmati river. It’s stagnant
water with concrete walls on two sides. The floodplains have been concretized to
make pathways and real estate projects. It cannot be replicated for our Yamuna”.
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11. YAMUNA RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
INSPIRED FROM SABARMATI MODEL
 An expert committee appointed by the Ministry of Environment & Forests
(MoEF) to examine the Yamuna River Front Development Scheme of the Delhi
Development Authority (DDA) recommended that DDA should scrap its
ambitious plan for developing recreational facilities, parking lots and
promenades. The committee was formed following order from National Green
Tribunal which was drawn in response to a petition filed by activists and
Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan convener Manoj Misra. The committee pointed out that
recreational spots located in active floodplain areas would kill the river and
cause floods in the city. About the Sabarmati Model Being followed, CR Babu,
Chair of the committee said: “There is no Sabarmati river. It’s stagnant water
with concrete walls on two sides. The floodplains have been concretized to
make pathways and real estate projects. It cannot be replicated for our
Yamuna”.
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12. YAMUNA RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
INSPIRED FROM SABARMATI MODEL
 Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, dismisses the Sabarmati solution saying
“We cannot call it a Sabarmati model… It’s like a mirage created for a brief
stretch. Let’s be clear about it. If the Delhi bureaucrats have gone there to
learn from the Gujarat model, it’s up to them to figure out if it can be
implemented. I cannot call the Sabarmati project a river rejuvenation project
– it’s more of a real estate project… That is not advisable for Delhi.”
 The committee report says the Yamuna Riverfront Development scheme will
reduce the river’s flood-carrying capacity and increase flooding and pollution
and it recommended a ban on developmental activity in the river’s Zone ‘O’
and its active floodplains on the Uttar Pradesh side. It also said that a 52-km
stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh be declared a ‘conservation
zone’ as restoring the river’s ecological functions is heavily dependent on the
environmental flow through this stretch, particularly in the lean season.
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13. YAMUNA RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT
INSPIRED FROM SABARMATI MODEL
 Another important aspect which does not
feature at all during the talks of Yamuna
Riverfront Development is the massive
displacement that will take place. Over a
dozen unauthorised colonies are located on
the riverbed. These colonies which have
been in existence for over 40 years will
have to be uprooted which again may lead
to Sabarmati like situation where urban
poor are brushed aside to serve interests of
real estate developers and urban middle
class.
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