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The TREADS Initiative with the support of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) invites you to the seventh talk in its Water-centric Master Planning in India series on:
Mainstreaming River-thinking in Master Plans/Development Plans of Indian Cities
Wednesday, 30th April 2025, 3:30 PM IST
Speaker:
Ms. Ishleen Kaur, Senior Urban Environment Specialist, Water and Environment Vertical, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)
This event will be held in a hybrid mode at the CPR Conference Room and online over Zoom. Please register below to attend.
About the talk:
Urban rivers have often been shaped by the dynamics of the urban growth. In this context, cities are increasingly recognised as a key to river rejuvenation and pollution abatement. For this shift to take root, river-thinking must be embedded within statutory frameworks like Master Plans and Development Plans. This talk will illustrate how Urban River Management Plans (URMPs) are emerging as vital instruments to bridge river-sensitive approaches with city planning processes. The Draft Master Plan for Delhi 2041 will be a key case study, highlighting how Delhi has re-envisioned the Yamuna through river-sensitive land use zoning, sectoral strategies, development control norms, infrastructure mandates, and special projects—pathways aligned with the Strategic Guidelines for Making River-Sensitive Master Plans (NMCG and NIUA, 2021). The session will also discuss the role of the River Cities Alliance (RCA) in institutionalising river-centric urban planning across cities, and deliberate on the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming URMP recommendations into statutory planning to secure the future of India’s urban rivers
About the speaker:
Ishleen Kaur is a Senior Urban Environment Specialist at NIUA, driving transformative initiatives under the Water and Environment Vertical. With more than a decade of experience, she has been instrumental in projects like Shallow Aquifer Management under AMRUT 2.0 and the scaling up of Urban River Management Plans with the NMCG and the World Bank. She has also led efforts to enhance city and community-level water-sensitive practices under the Australia-India Water Security Initiative, promoting inclusive, nature-based solutions and participatory approaches to urban water management. She has also worked on the Master Plan for Delhi 2041 to ensure the incorporation of water-sensitive and eco-friendly urban development strategies within the Plan.
Her prior work experience with Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) was focused on building local capacities, fostering community engagement, and integrating ecological resilience through participatory urban planning.
