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Ill-conceived 'rejuvenation' efforts of Vishwamitri River in Vadodara worsening flood intensity, waterlogging

Counterview Desk 
Representation to BN Navalawala, Chairperson, High Level Committee for Mitigation of Flood and Waterlogging in Vishwamitri Watershed; and Municipal Commissioner, Member Secretary, High Level Committee for Mitigation of Flood and Waterlogging in Vishwamitri Watershed, Vadodara Municipal Corporation, by concerned citizens of Vadodara* on "avoidable floods and devastating waterlogging situations in Vadodara region / Vishwamitri Watershed and their relationship to multiple follies, flaws and fallacies across all levels of governance".

Text:

In the wake of the recent avoidable floods and devastating waterlogging in Vadodara region since Monday, 26th August 2024, a major and critical point becomes clear:  practically, no lessons have been learned from the past flooding and waterlogging events and from the ill-advised and ill-conceived “rejuvenation” efforts of Vishwamitri River by the concerned authorities. Instead, the intensity and extent of the flood and waterlogging events have only worsened, with the inundation of and waterlogging in previously ‘safer’ areas in addition to the ones that regularly experience submergence, including the walled city. The main reasons are that we have an unplanned city and unprepared concerned authorities who have allowed choking and blocking every natural water drain and reduced absorption and carrying capacity of various water entities in their ill-conceived quest for “development”. 
Mega infrastructure projects like The Vadodara-Ahmedabad Express Highway, the eight lane Delhi-Mumbai Express Highway, and the Bullet Train project have obstructed and altered the interlinked natural river system flows through temporary, semi-temporary and permanent interventions, with no or inadequate precautionary measures during their construction. A temporal analysis through satellite images and other secondary data can be undertaken to identify the extent of disruptions over the years.
We understand that the High Level Committee, chaired by Mr. B. N. Navalawala that was formed on Friday, 13.09.2024, and that is empowered by the Government of Gujarat for the exclusive purpose of mitigation of recurrent Floods and Waterlogging in the Vishwamitri Watershed. 
We, as Concerned Citizens have persistently written our concerns, disagreements, and suggestions to address the interconnected issues to the concerned authorities since 2017. They have been attached herewith for your ready reference. Below is a graphic representation of the observations and deliberations from our letters:
 In light of the above observations and facts, herewith, we are putting on record our grave concerns before this Committee.
The so-called “flood” and “waterlogging” issues must be addressed by treating not its symptoms but its root causes in a systemic manner at the watershed level and not in a piecemeal manner only at the city level. This is the real and vital work that has been deliberately ignored. We urge this Committee to conform to the prevailing laws of the land, directions of concerned authorities, and Orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 22.02.2017, Writ Petition (Civil) No. 375 of 2012 (Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti & Anrs V/s Union of India & Ors), and Hon’ble NGT dated 25.05.2021 of the National Green Tribunal in Application O. A. No. 228/2020 (Earlier O. A. No. 49/2016 (WZ)) and Execution Application No. 45/2016 (WZ) (Rohit Prajapati & Anr V/s Secretary, MoEF & CC & Ors.), as referenced. 
We would like to reiterate that any inadvertent decision on part of this Committee will further exacerbate the issues on hand and will be considered as contempt of the Hon’ble Supreme Court Order and Hon’ble National Green Tribunal Orders. 
Our recommendations are as follows: 
  • Stop all activities inviting flooding and water logging.  
  • Immediately devise and implement proactive and sound Action Plans for proper and well-monitored remediation, restoration, and future waste management by adopting proper ways of removal, transporting, storing, sorting, recycling, reusing, and upcycling the debris and other wastes from the river, ravines, ponds, wetlands, and such. The implementation of the Action Plan must start from the upper and higher parts of all sub-watersheds of Vishwamitri River and move downstream and lower parts till the Gulf of Khambhat. 
  • Implement the Order, dated 22.02.2017, of the Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 375 of 2012 (Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti & Anrs V/s Union of India & Ors) and Order dated 25.05.2021 of the National Green Tribunal in Application O. A. No. 228/2020 (Earlier O. A. No. 49/2016 (WZ)) and Execution Application No. 45/2016 (WZ) (Rohit Prajapati & Anr V/s Secretary, MoEF & CC & Ors.) in letter and spirit. 
  • Implement recent Order of the National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, Delhi, Order, dated 23.02.2023, in Original Application No. 606 of 2018. 
  • Establish a semi-statutory body, with legal teeth, that would include subject experts - ecologists, geologists, hydrologists, soil scientists, plants and animal experts, environmental / ecological planners, wetland specialists, landscape architects, legal and legislative specialist, other built environment professionals as well as knowledgeable and experienced members of the community at-large, to proactively guide and monitor the remediation of the damages done, nature and heritage restoration, and new development initiatives that the government would undertake for improving the quality of the local ecosystems, and lives of the citizens and other living beings of Vadodara.
  • Establish a fully functional, effective, and knowledgeable Urban and Ecological Planning Department in the VUDA and the VMC that must also include experts from various related fields such as ecologists, environmental engineers and planners, and landscape architects, in addition to urban planners, architects, and civil engineers, for ensuring better plans and detailed designs for the city. 
  • Make detailed, legally, scientifically, technically, and ethically correct action plans for restoring and conserving the river as a system of catchment, floodplains, tributaries, ponds, riverbed, ravines, and the immediate riparian zones so as to ensure their natural functioning and monitoring year-round. 
  • Immediately prepare, technically correct, and accurate land survey and digital elevation models (DEMs using the latest technology and know-how, with spot elevations at 3 x 3 meters, contour lines at 10 or 25 centimeter intervals, plinth levels of the structures, and other physical and biological features, with watershed and sub-watersheds as units within and beyond the entire VMC and VUDA areas and with the advice from relevant experts.  
  • Plan and design, in advance and comprehensively (not in piecemeal manner), all physical and infrastructural interventions, including roads and other structures, seriously and scientifically considering the above stated data and adopting participatory methods. 
  • Prepare Disaster Mitigation Plans for the city by using the landscape and ecosystem approaches right from the origin of River Vishwamitri and include all the villages and towns in the watershed of this river. If and as needed, remove, retrofit, and/or restore parts of the built environment. Cosmetic and ill-advised interventions or projects, implemented in piecemeal and uncoordinated manner only within the VMC or VUDA limits will NOT solve the problems arising from the current, inadequate way of developing the city, but they will exacerbate them further. 
  • Set up an adequate, fully functional recycling and upcycling plants, at the earliest, to treat construction debris and other household waste and convert it into some usable form with their own EIA and public health implications. This will help us to take the necessary steps to move away from the current throughput economy to a new, regenerative economy.  No new permissions for reconstruction or renovation of old buildings should be allowed till official permits and protocols for demolition are properly devised as well as fully operational recycling and up-cycling plant is well established. 
  • Implement appropriate rainwater harvesting systems as per the macro and micro-level geology-hydrology of the area to harvest and manage the excessive water available while protecting and restoring the natural water entities and maintaining the e-flow of the river. 
  • Make the satellite images of the past and recent floods and other relevant information and data available in the public domain. These should display all areas covering the entire VMC and VUDA that get waterlogged, flooded, and dumped or encroached upon in the entire city. This information must also be updated on a yearly basis and put in the public domain for increasing awareness amongst the people, evaluating actions taken, correcting mistakes, and monitoring. 
  • Work towards bringing about a paradigm shift in the way we envision, govern/administer, and plan our cities and other areas.  It is time to redefine administrative boundaries (like wards and districts) according to the boundaries of watersheds and sub-watersheds. Though seemingly difficult, it has been done elsewhere and provides a better model for well-conceived development that honors nature and accommodates human aspirations. 
As a significant first step, this Committee must chart a plan of action for (a) before, (b) during, and (c) after phases of debris and solid waste removal from the ravines and low-lying areas, both at the city and district levels. For this to happen, immediately form a task force comprising of local and field experts and representatives of the concerned authorities. This task force must systematically act towards all three phases, taking into consideration examples and lessons of other cities / places that have explored alternative methods as well as determine Best Practices for all aspects and phases of the work described in this letter. This task force must also conduct one or two pilot projects for the three phases mentioned in this paragraph, starting with the upper parts of the sub-watersheds within and beyond the VMC limits.  Not doing this will result in another lost year. 
Mobilise and commit enough funding to fulfill the above demands / objectives for a better city, care of its natural and cultural assets, and the resulting richer experiential qualities. 
We look forward to your response and immediate action to protect, conserve, restore, enhance, develop, and nurture the Nature of the city’s ecoregion so that, in turn, Nature can nurture the city and its ecoregion.
---
*Concerned Citizens of Vadodara:
Rohit Prajapati, Environment Activist, Researcher, and Writer
Neha Sarwate, Environmental and Urban Planner
Deepa Gavali, PhD, Wetland Ecologist
Krishnakant, Environment Activist
Ranjitsinh Devkar, PhD, Zoologist
Shishir R. Raval, PhD, Landscape Architect and Ecological Planner
Jitendra Gavali, PhD, Botanist
Shakti Bhatt, Water Resources Expert
Arjun Singh Mehta, PhD, Biotechnologist
Jayendra Lakhmapurkar, PhD, Hydro-Geologist
Hitarth Pandya, Educationist and Writer
Sanjay Soni, Field Expert 
Mitesh Panchal, Architect and Urban Planner
Rutvik Tank, Civil Engineer and Urban Planner
Dhara Patel, Landscape Architect and Architect
Dhrumil Kantharia, Landscape Architect
Mrugen Rathod, Visual Artist
Kareena Kochery, Landscape Architect and Architect

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