Riverfront development has rapidly become a defining feature of cities across India, with projects underway in cities from Ahmedabad to Guwahati and Hyderabad and more. Framed as efforts to “revitalise” rivers, these projects have largely followed a standardised template, set in 2012 by the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, that centres an engineering-led approach, sewage treatment and beautification, ignoring the restoration of river ecology and human habitations along the river banks.
This factsheet examines how the model has been implemented, a map of 16 such projects across cities in India, the scale of public funds committed, and its ecological and social consequences. It also looks at the growing resistance on the ground and emerging alternatives that challenge the dominant approach to rivers in cities.
Cover photo: Ramkund, located along the banks of the Godavari river
Credit: Naitri Kale
