NMCG hosts Session on ‘Integrated River Basin Management: Stakeholder Engagement’ on Day 2 of Stockholm World Water Week, 2021

About the news:

The National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) recently hosted a Meet & Mingle session on ‘Integrated River Basin Management(IRBM): Stakeholder Engagement on the Stockholm World Water Week 2021.

About the World Water week:

World Water Week is the leading annual global event for concretely addressing the planet’s major water issues. The world water week is hosted and conducted by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

• For 2021, World Water Week is being held entirely online.
• The theme for 2021 is Building Resilience Faster.

What is Integrated River Basin Management?

Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) emphasis on cross-disciplinary coordination of water, land and related resources in a river basin, watershed or catchment to achieve long-term sustainability.

IRBM highlights the importance of ecosystem function in the long term and reminds us that integration of policies, decisions and costs are necessary across a multitude of sectors.

Why does India need IRBM in the Ganga basin?

River Ganga is the largest river basin in India and have recognition of being an international basin.  A large section of the Indian population is living in the River Ganga Basin and directly connects with human life in various ways.

But the basin faces multi-faceted issues related to ecology, environment, economy, food security and so on. So India needs an IRBM for the Ganga basin.

Efforts by the government:

The NMCG has developed the Ganga River Basin Management Plan in a consortium with IITs. 

• The plan covers the issue of pollution and suggested solutions, with a focus on retaining the water quality and quantity.
• The other challenges related to Environmental flow, wetland conservation and development, wildlife protection and so on are key elements covered under the GRBMP
• The GRBMP is being implemented by NMCG in a sustainable manner by involvement with Public-Private Partnerships.

Key points from the NMCG session:

• The session mentioned that India should focus on the importance of stakeholder engagement including fisheries, agriculture, forestry, and others with aim of successful implementation of IRBM in the Ganga River Basin.  
• There is a need to learn from international experiences and understand the characteristics and challenges faced. 
• The current structure having Ganga Praharis and Ganga Mitra at village levels and state level need to be escalated at different scales and regions. 
• Adopt a bottom-up approach by empowering the district level government bodies and start initiatives including small rivers as they contribute to Ganga River Basin Management. 
• Develop basin wise data collection system, budget-wise approaches to support IRBM implementation and data development on small streams.