Citizen engagement in river management and economy

Abstract

Urban regions are home to around 34% of India's population. The number and size of Indian cities have grown in recent years. Increased urbanisation is virtually usually related to economic growth potential. These development initiatives, however, frequently have a detrimental influence on the environment. One of these effects is on riverine systems as a result of indiscriminate abstraction and pollution in rivers and bodies of water. Citizen Involvement becomes critical for the long-term viability of urban river bodies and the effectiveness of any urban local government effort. This support is significantly easier to obtain when folks are aware of the challenges at hand and how they may assist in addressing them. It is critical to change from "citizens as spectators" to "citizens as actors." In recent years, there has been a huge surge in community-based river management. Citizens benefit from the river's ecological, social, and economic importance. Citizens are increasingly becoming involved in the management of their rivers and watersheds, through organisations ranging from watershed associations to citizen action groups to municipal advisory committees. The realisation that surface water degradation is a combined effect of land-use change and human alteration of the landscape has increased the need for stakeholder and resource user engagement and collaboration to better identify the sources of the problem and contribute to the development of workable solutions. The thesis intends to identify strategies to promote citizens' engagement in river management and sustainable use of the river economy in the Ghat of Kanpur, India. The livelihood and activity mapping have been done to understand civic engagement and their relationship with the river. This will lend insights into how deteriorating citizen-river connection impacts the citizens' behaviour toward the river and the livelihood of the riverine community. The research also intends how a river economy as a catalyst can bridge the gap between citizen-river connections. The assessment and analysis of citizen engagement are based on Arnstein’s model of the ladder of participation. Primary surveys such as the Perception survey and the DFID livelihood framework for the household survey have been used for understanding the Real ground scenarios of participation and development scenarios. Based on the analysis, site-specific and policy specific recommendations have been given for civic engagement and improving the connection between citizens and the river.