RHAR 2019: 1st International Conference on ‘River Health: Assessment to Restoration (RHAR)

Taking the scientific spirit and recommendations of Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) 2015 forwards, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT (BHU) Varanasi thought of ‘making our rivers healthy and happy’ as its Centenary Vision in 2019. Accordingly it organized the 1st International Conference on ‘River Health: Assessment to Restoration (RHAR)’ during Feb. 14-16, 2019. Five broad themes discussed in greater details in RHAR 2019 included: Riverine processes, Drivers of river health, River health monitoring, River health indexing, River health restoration.

RHAR 2021: 2nd International Conference on ‘River Health: Assessment to Restoration (RHAR)

In order to bring smaller rivers on health restoration agenda, RHAR 2021 focused on “Talks of the Tributaries: Rivers Varuna and Assi in the Middle Ganga Basin”. The objective was to collect, compile and comprehend all the facts and figures related with these tributaries which are important and helpful in their health restoration. The post conference effect is that four leading academic institutions of the country in this region, IIT Kanpur, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, IIT Roorkee and BBAU Lucknow have joined hands to help and guide one of the largest working Departments of the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) engaged in creating jobs and employability close to soil, water and rivers. The Government has embarked upon preparing a roadmap to rejuvenate 75 small rivers of the state in first phase with scope to increase the number subsequently.

RHAR 2023: 3rd International Conference on ‘River Health: Assessment to Restoration (RHAR)

A deeper analysis of river health condition indicates two facts:

• Due to large and unsustainable surface and ground water extractions in many parts of the river basins, there is water stressed conditions, which require source augmentation, and,
• Cities along the course of rivers put high quantitative and qualitative stress on them. For river health restoration programs to be effective and sustainable, the water stressed regions need to be developed as ‘water positive’, and urban catchments need to be modeled as ‘water smart’ centers. Hence the theme of RHAR 2023 is “Moving towards Water Positive Regions (WPR) and Water Smart Cities (WSC)”. For more information, kindly click the below links for concept note and dimensions of RHAR 2023.