impact of urbanization on water bodies: case of nag river at nagpur

Impact of urbanization on urban water bodies: Case of Nag River at Nagpur.

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FACULTY OF PLANNING & PUBLIC POLICY

CEPT UNIVERSITY

Impact of urbanization on urban water bodies: Case of Nag River at Nagpur

Submitted by: Kanishk Harshwardhan

Gadpale Guide: Prof. Subhrangsu Goswami

Code No. URP 1011


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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the thesis titled Impact of urbanization on urban water bodies: Case of Nag River at Nagpur has been submitted by Kanishk Harshwardhan Gadpale (EP 0711) towards partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Masters Degree in Planning with specialization in Environmental Planning. This is a bonafide work of the student and has not been submitted to any other university for award of any Degree/Diploma to the best of my knowledge.

Chairperson Dissertation Guide

Dissertation Committee 2012-2013

Date:


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UNDERTAKING

I, Kanishk Harshwardhan Gadpale, the author of the thesis titled Impact of urbanization on urban water bodies: Case of Nag River at Nagpur, hereby declare that this is an independent work of mine, carried out towards partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Masters Degree in Planning with specialization in Environmental Planning, at the Faculty of Planning and Public Policy, CEPT University, Ahmedabad. This work has not been submitted to any other institution for the award of any Degree/Diploma.

Kanishk Harshwardhan Gadpale

EP 0711

Environmental Planning

Date: 28.06.13

Place: Ahmedabad


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CONTENTS List of tables ........................................................................................................... ix

List of figures .......................................................................................................... x

List of maps............................................................................................................. x

List of Annexure .................................................................................................... xi

EXECUTIVE SUMMERY ................................................................................... xii

1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1

1.1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................... 1

1.2 NEED OF THE STUDY ............................................................................... 2

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION ............................................................................. 4 1.4 AIM ............................................................................................................... 5 1.5 OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................... 5 1.6 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................ 5 1.7 SCOPE & LIMITATION .............................................................................. 6 1.8 CHAPTERISATION ..................................................................................... 7

Chapter 1 - Introduction .................................................................................. 7

Chapter 2 - Literature review ........................................................................... 7

Chapter 3 - Baseline profile of Nagpur city .................................................... 7

Chapter4 Data analysis ................................................................................. 7

Chapter5 Conclusion .................................................................................... 8 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... 9

2.1 BASICS ON STREAM ................................................................................. 9 2.2 CHANNEL EQUILIBRIUM ...................................................................... 12 2.3 IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ................................................................ 13

2.4 THE VALUE OF STREAMS AND THEIR IMPROVEMENT ................ 16 2.4.1 Quantifying the value of stream ........................................................... 16

2.5 WHAT STREAM NEEDS .......................................................................... 17 2.5.1 Areas of concern for having healthy stream ......................................... 18 2.5.2 Management objectives for helping the stream .................................... 18

2.6 INCENTIVES FOR URBAN STREAM RESTORATION (IMPROVEMENT/REJUVENATION) PROJECTS ....................................... 21


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2.7 WHAT IS RESTORATION? ...................................................................... 22

2.7.1 Watershed perspective .......................................................................... 23

2.7.2 Neighborhood perspective .................................................................... 24

2.7.3 When to act ........................................................................................... 24

2.8 TECHNICALS UNDERSTANDING OF STREAM NECESSARY FOR URBAN RIVER STAKEHOLDER .................................................................. 25

2.8.1 Overview of stream corridor ................................................................. 25 2.8.2 Cross section of stream corridor ........................................................... 26 2.8.3 Floodplain ............................................................................................. 27 2.8.4 Hydrology ............................................................................................. 30

2.9 LEGISLATION AND ITS ENFORCEMENT ........................................... 34 2.9.1 IPC 1860 ............................................................................................... 35 2.9.2 1948, the factories act .......................................................................... 36 2.9.3 The river board act of 1956:- ................................................................ 36 2.9.4 The national Indian canal and drainage act of 1973 ............................. 36 2.9.5 The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 .................. 36 2.9.6 Environmental protection act in 1986 .................................................. 37 2.9.7 Public nuisance action against the polluters ......................................... 38 2.9.8 Common law right to riparian owners to unpolluted water .................. 38 2.9.9 National water framework act .............................................................. 38

2.10 WATER QUALITY CRITERIA .............................................................. 40 3. BASELINE PROFILE OF NAGPUR CITY .................................................... 41

3.1 REGIONAL SETTINGS OF STUDY AREA ............................................ 41

3.2 THE CITY GROWTH ................................................................................ 41

3.3 CITY PROFILE .......................................................................................... 45 3.3.1 Physical and Geographical character .................................................... 45 3.3.2 Demographic characteristic .................................................................. 49 3.3.3 Density .................................................................................................. 51 3.3.4 Literacy and Sex Ratio ......................................................................... 54 3.3.5 Population Forecast .............................................................................. 54 3.3.6 Land use ................................................................................................ 54


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3.4 BASIC INFRASTRUCTURES .................................................................. 55 3.4.1 Water supply ......................................................................................... 55 3.4.2 Sewage system ...................................................................................... 58 3.4.3 Storm water drainage ............................................................................ 61 3.4.4 Solid waste management ...................................................................... 64 3.4.5 Access of Slum dwellers to Basic Services .......................................... 71

3.5 PHYSICAL PROFILE OF NAG RIVER ................................................... 74 3.5.1 Physical profile of the rivers ................................................................. 74 3.5.2 Origin of the Rivers .............................................................................. 77 3.5.3 Physical status of River ........................................................................ 80

4. DATA ANALYSIS ........................................................................................... 81

4.1 ENVIRONMENT STATUS OF RIVER .................................................... 81

4.1.1 Flow in the river ................................................................................... 81

4.2.2 River water quality ............................................................................... 82

4.3 ASSESSMENT OF WATERSHEDS ......................................................... 88

4.3.1 North zone (watershed of Pillli River) ................................................. 90 Central zone (watershed of Nag River) ......................................................... 92 4.3.2 South zone (watershed of Pohra River) ................................................ 94

4.4 ASSESSMENT OF NAG RIVER STRETCH ............................................ 97 4.4.1 Activities on Nodal points .................................................................... 97 1} Chainage segment 0-720: ......................................................................... 99 2} Chainage segment 720-2750: ................................................................. 100 3} Chainage segment 2750-4635: ............................................................... 101 4} Chainage segment 4635-5435: ............................................................... 105 5} Chainage segment 5435-6020: ............................................................... 107 6} Chainage segment 6020-7541: ............................................................... 109 7} Chainage segment 7541-8586: ............................................................... 110 8} Chainage segment 8586-8748: ............................................................... 112 9} Chainage segment 8748-10410: ............................................................. 114 10} Chainage segment 10410-12315: ......................................................... 115 11} Chainage segment 12315-13070: ......................................................... 117


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12} Chainage segment 13070-15952: ......................................................... 118 13} Chainage segment 15952-16732: ......................................................... 120 14} Phutala Nallah stretch: .......................................................................... 122

4.5 ASSESSMENT OF PILLI RIVER STRETCH ......................................... 126 Bridge on road connecting Mahavir Hanuman Chowk near ring road. ....... 126 Nallah connecting Pilli river near Anant Nagar Church close to Vaz Villa 127

Bridge across Pilli River on Ambedkar Road (Gorewada road) near Gorewada WTP ........................................................................................... 128

Gorewada lakes overflow point ................................................................... 128 4.5 STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS ................................................................. 130

4.5.1 Times of India and Maharashtra times Drive ..................................... 130 4.5.2 Other activities .................................................................................... 130 4.5.3 Nagpur Municipal Corporation's mega drive to clean Nag River and Stakeholders................................................................................................. 131

4.5.4 Notices and removal of encroachments on NMCs Nag River drive .. 135 4.5.4 Stakeholders and NMCs efforts to improve River water quality ...... 137 4.5.5 Denotification of part of Nag River from its origin to Ambazari lake 141

5. Summing up .................................................................................................... 145 5.1 ISSUES...................................................................................................... 145

5. 1.1 Problems of pollution in river and its impact .................................... 145 5. 1.2 River water quality monitoring .......................................................... 146 5. 1.3 Discharge of sewage into the river .................................................... 147 5.1.4 Flow in river ....................................................................................... 147 5.1.5 Inadequate sewage network and storm water drainage network ........ 148 5.1.6 Disposal of garbage in Nallahs and Rivers. ........................................ 149 5.1.7 Deposition of silt and garbage ............................................................ 149 5.1.8 Slums on the banks of river ................................................................ 150 5.1.9 Denotification of first stretch of Nag River ........................................ 151

5.2 EFFECT OF PROPOSALS AND ACTIVITIES ...................................... 151 5.2.1 Proposed Decentralized waste water treatment plants ....................... 151 5.2.2 Proposed Sewage treatment plants ..................................................... 152


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5.2.3 Proposed sewerage and storm water network ..................................... 152 5.2.4 Eco-tourism project near Gorewada ................................................... 153 5.2.5 Reuse of wastewater ........................................................................... 153 5.2.6 Construction of check dams across the river ...................................... 154

5.3 RECOMMENDATION ............................................................................ 155 5.3.1Plantation of trees on the banks of river: ............................................. 155 5.3.2 Plan for timely cleaning and desilting on the river stretch ................. 155 5.3.3 Strategic Plan for slum improvement and relocation ......................... 155 5.3.4 Denotification process of first stretch of the river should ceased ....... 156 5.3.5 NMC should ask for River environmental monitoring from organizations other than MPCB .................................................................. 156 5.3.6 Discharge of only waste water and DEWATS technology ................ 156

Annexures ........................................................................................................... 157


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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Impact of urbanization ............................................................................. 13 Table 2 Water quality criteria ............................................................................... 40 Table 3 Chronological growth of Nagpur city ...................................................... 42 Table 4 Nagpur City population ........................................................................... 49 Table 5 Nagpur Metropolitan population ............................................................. 50 Table 6 The capacity and location of W.T.Ps...................................................... 56 Table 7 Future water demand of city of Nagpur ................................................... 57 Table 8 Water demand and supply till 2031 according to master plan ................. 57 Table 9 Sewage generation from three sewage zones in Nagpur ......................... 59 Table 10 Zone wise STPs and length of sewer lines (proposed and existing) ...... 60 Table 11 Length of storm water drains ................................................................. 63 Table 12 Length statement of SWD ..................................................................... 63 Table 13 Length of drains and Project cost and other details ............................... 64 Table 14 Solid waste statistics .............................................................................. 64 Table 15 Average bins and MSW generation in a ward ....................................... 67 Table 16 Composition of solid waste generated ................................................... 68 Table 17 CHF international Slums scenario done in 2007-08 .............................. 72 Table 18 Salient features of Nag River ................................................................. 80 Table 19 Flow in Nag River.................................................................................. 81 Table 20 Zone wise sewage condition .................................................................. 88 Table 21 Zone wise storm water drainage status .................................................. 89 Table 22 Current Length of drains, implemented projects costs .......................... 89


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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Watersheds and streams orders ................................................................ 9 Figure 2 Watersheds and streams orders .............................................................. 10 Figure 3 Factors affecting channel equilibrium .................................................... 12 Figure 4 Spatial structure. ..................................................................................... 27 Figure 5 A cross section of a river corridor. ......................................................... 27 Figure 6 Hydrologic and topographic floodplains. ............................................... 28 Figure 7 Landforms and deposits of a floodplain. ................................................ 30 Figure 8 A storm hydrograph. ............................................................................... 30 Figure 9 A comparison of hydrographs before and after urbanization. ................ 32 Figure 10 Relationship between impervious cover and surface runoff. ............... 32 Figure 11Population growth of Nagpur city ......................................................... 50 Figure 12 Decadal Growth rate ............................................................................. 50 Figure 13 Proposed reuse of sewage water by NMC through various partners .... 61 Figure 14 Nag River BOD Figure 15 Pilli River BOD ..................................... 83 Figure 16 Nag River COD Figure 17Pili River COD ....................................... 84 Figure 18Nag River DO Figure 19Pili River DO ............................................. 84 Figure 20Nag River SS Figure 21Pilli River SS ............................................... 85 Figure 22Nag River BOD Figure 23Nag River COD ....................................... 87 Figure 24 Nag River DO ....................................................................................... 87

LIST OF MAPS

Map 1Growth of the Nagpur city and its physical situation ................................. 44 Map 2 Nagpur and its location in India ................................................................ 45 Map 3 Authorized and Unauthorized slum distribution across the city and zonal population density ................................................................................................. 52 Map 4 ward wise population density .................................................................... 53 Map 5 Drainage Map of the city ........................................................................... 76 Map 6 Physical situation of Rivers in Nagpur city .............................................. 78 Map 7 Physical situation of Rivers in Nagpur city ............................................... 79 Map 8 Locations of flow measurement ................................................................ 81 Map 9 Locations of MPCB monitoring stations ................................................... 83 Map 10 Locations of NEERI monitoring stations ................................................. 86 Map 11 Chainages and landuse along the Nag River ........................................... 98


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LIST OF ANNEXURE

Annexure 1 Ward Wise Density ......................................................................... 157 Annexure 2Zone wise slum population .............................................................. 157 Annexure 3 Land use as per Development Plan 1986-2011 ............................... 159 Annexure 4 Land use as per Development Plan 1921-2031 ............................... 160 Annexure 5 Benchmark for sanitation and sewerage system ............................. 161 Annexure 6 Benchmark for storm water drainage .............................................. 162 Annexure 7 Types of Vehicles and capacity....................................................... 162 Annexure 8 Zone wise slum population ............................................................. 163


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EXECUTIVE SUMMERY

All the necessities of life that a man is surrounded with are dependent on availability of water and therefore tend to settle in groups near water bodies. Therefore most of the cities are founded near to the rivers. Rivers have been standing as the lifeline of cities; however past practices after industrialism they have been polluted, and covered up with roofing. They became marginalized waterscapes from the urban life. As an example, the scenes as river water quality deterioration and emerging bad-smelling rivers have been seen in developed cities.

Conservation of resources, environmental preserves, resources management, environmental restoration, and the consideration of quality of life in human settlements are ancient history. Second part of the last century rivers are been rehabilitated for healthy environment, ecological perspective and matters concerning physical state of river. While in recent decades more attention is given to quality of life, sustainability, and their role as Urban River and riverfront. Therefore the aim is to study the impact of urbanization on streams, lakes and other water bodies. It includes knowledge about the problems that are been faced by people because of pollution in streams and water bodies in their community. To know about the factors those are responsible for the pollution and degradation of water bodies in urban areas. And to explore and quantify the different type benefits that can come out of improvement these water bodies. To explore the possibility of improvement, upliftment, rejuvenatation and restoration for the streams and water bodies of urban environment.

India is facing river related problems which are been faced way back by developed countries after industrial revolution. Indian cities have turned backs on their streams, stream corridors and their watersheds. Civic bodies dont even have a clue about what next step they should take. The whole problem is new to India.

The case of Nag River at Nagpur is taken into consideration for this study. Three watersheds that are in this city have three rivers flowing in each watershed. All these three rivers are the part of Nag River. Each of these three watersheds


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have different extent of urbanization and therefore gives good opportunity to study different phases of impact on streams observed in most of the urbanized areas. It is necessary to have basic understanding about the behavior and characteristics of the streams. As well as a study about citizens and stakeholders response to improve or to even restore the streams in their community. For this a

very valuable inputs from book written by Ann Riley called Restoring Streams in Cities A Guidebook for Planners, Policymakers and Citizens are incorporated into the literature part of this study. To understand the physical characteristics of the stream an Handbook called Stream Corridor Restoration Principles, Processes, and Practices created by The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group and published by National Engineering Handbook, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service is been used. This document is produced by a unique team of experts from universities, consulting firms and authors of famous books on rivers and streams including Ann L. Riley.

Subject will focus on examination of different sources of pollution and their causes. Understand the physical and environmental condition of the river. How and why River is getting polluted through Nallahs, storm water drains, sewage systems etc. Studying the land use along the River, Investigation of actions taken by various stakeholders for the improvement of streams, measures taken to reduce the pollution in the River. The study will naturally include collection of all available information, analysis of environmental and ecological constraints, field visits, evaluation of technologies in use, survey investigations, photography, mapping of the existing land use along the river body, stakeholders analysis, segmental evaluation of Nag river in central zone along its course etc.

First the study area is taken, although Nagpur was very easy for travelling through, it is a good location to study this subject. By going through readily available materials such as City Sanitation plan, City Development Plan, Environmental Status Report the dynamic of the city was understood. Study of these government documents make it possible to understand the management of sewer and storm water in city. Civic body has divided city into three zones. And these three zones have their own first order stream channel (i.e.Nallahs) and


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second order stream channels (i.e. river). And finally when these three second order stream channels i.e. three rivers meet near the boundary of Nagpur Municipal Corporation they form a third order stream channel called Nag River same as the second order stream channel in cental zone. These three zones are different is characteristics and in the extent of urbanization. Central zone is more historic and dense in population while other two are new. After Gathering the drainage maps and sewerage maps for the city it is possible to understand the mechanism and network of streams present in the city. This also made it very easy to survey these River stretches and take photographs for later understanding. It was also been understood from this drawing that which points on the streams are necessary to visit for survey. Altogether the study of these documents and maps made it easier to ask more specific questions to the officials and gather more specific required data. Visiting institutions such as NEERI, LUSS&P, ISRO remote sensing division had no constructive benefits. NMC had asked NEERI to do environmental monitoring of Nag River, and NEERI had published the report on it in public domain and have monitoring data till year 2010. But attempt to gather these monitoring data was unsuccessful. From irrigation department flood line map of Pilli river is obtained. In Nagpur Municipal Corporation water resource department called as Pench cell is of very great help for this study. From here the information about River rejuvenation project submitted for approval from NRCD is gathered. Gradient of river, salient features of Nag River, Landuse along the stretch of the Rivers, Proposals under the rejuvenation plan and the description of all the nodes identified on the basis of heritage/ religious, institutional structures, significance of ecology, Physical and visual connectivity etc. of Nag River was gathered. This made it easier to do assessment of chainages (segments) of the Nag river stretch. Visiting all the stretch of Nag River made it possible to assess the condition river, cause of pollution, Landuse problems, encroachments, erosion and flood problems. Visiting all these stretches with someone who was residing in the city for so long make it always more beneficial to understand it much better way and know about all the historic development activities. Meeting with developers of Eco-development project for Nag River


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helped to understand about the water bodies in Nagpur much better way. As a result it was possible to understand what is really happening with the streams and water bodies of Nagpur.

It is evident that civic body of Nagpur is not considering the full watershed of streams that are flowing in its jurisdiction. But only considers the area that is been inside the municipal boundary. MPCB which is the main organization who directs all types of entities for the prevention of pollution, itself is not performing their job. NMC is recently acting in the direction of prevention of pollution of water inside the city as well as outside the city into Nag rivers distributor rivers because High courts order. It is the PIL from the peoples who are suffering outside the city that High court has to response in action. MPCB is also indulged in denotification of Nag River under the pressure of industrial lobby to set up industries on this first stretch that bring water to the Lake. That will cause serious problem for the city in future because the water in Ambazari Lake and the river through the city will get extremely polluted with toxic industrial waste. Comparison between the environmental monitoring data of NEERI and MPCB shows that MPCB is manipulating their monitoring data. NEERI in its report clearly stated that mere sewage is flowing in River, while MPCB stats show that the fishes can survive in that water. It is also understood only by considering the control over dumping of garbage into the stream which is already flowing waste water most of the toxicity, BOD, COD can be decreased. Because until present NMC never given any focus on improvement of Nag rivers and other water bodies. Therefore citizens are unaware of the fact that streams can be improved and the properties prices near to these areas can increase. As soon as NMC have begun their Nag River cleaning campaign people started to show huge response in considering the healthy rivers for Nagpur. Coefficient of roughness and runoff coefficient are the important variables which are to be considered by municipalities in India. Because this variable decides whether the water in river is able to carry away its silt particles, weather she is corrosive or not etc. And especially about the rivers like in Nagpur. Because in rivers of Nagpur most of the flow is generated by sewage, therefore the flow in river usually seen increasing


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after 9 am and after that only in evening it decreases. Historically this rivers use to flow perennially when sewage was not the problem and the water from the river is been used for farming and bathing purposes. This results in problems such as corrosion, siltation, overflowing the capacity of STPs that are at the far end of the city resulting in less efficiency.

If was possible to take photographs on all the stretches of river, but photographs some stretch of river are missed. NEERI has full environmental monitoring data on the survey they have conducted on thirteen monitoring stations on Nag River probably from before year 2003 to year 2010. But only 2003-2004 year data can be incorporated into this study. Taking care of streams, improving them, or even restoring the streams is a problem very new to municipalities of India. Although they are getting polluted in past half of the century they recently become the problem for Indian cities. Practice of urban stream restoration techniques in foreign countries practiced toady are simply carry forward of 1930s governmental literatures on restoration techniques. Today we in India need to take advantage of the learning of foreign countries in this sector.

There is a need to do more research in this sector because of the emerging need of Indian cities to have pollution free streams and prevent the pollution of other water resources outside city limits. In case of Nagpur there is a need to study the future development in the corridor of rivers. Like to increase the prospects of development of along the Nag River, it will require removal of slums and their relocation. And to make this area more attractive to real estate developers it is also been needed that the river should be odour less and clean without any debris. But better goal would be to consider Nag river corridor for riverfront development. And for this postulate it is needed that the water flowing should be clear. Only the partially treated waste water can be flown in the river and all the sewage that is generated will be carried out by different pipe lines. Waste water generated by buildings and homes will be treated at that point with the responsibility of property holder and then only be flown into the river. Northern watershed of Pilli river need that mistakes should not be repeated there that are failed in Nag River. There is also a need for the study of southern


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watershed of Phohara River. Because of upcoming MIHAN project, this area is quickly getting developed and therefore there is a vast area to assess the future planning for the streams of Phora river because this hub will host millions of travelers across the world, and therefore have huge future prospects of development. Therefore this area could be researched taking its future prospects into consideration.


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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND As it is seen, rivers have been standing as the lifeline of cities, however

past practices after industrialism we have polluted them, and covered them up. They became marginalized waterscapes from the urban life. As an example, the scenes as river water quality deterioration and emerging bad-smelling rivers have been seen in developed cities.

Planning done in order to manage rivers and their floodplains is one of the oldest and most accepted forms of planning our environment.

Conservation of resources, environmental preserves, resources

management, environmental restoration, and the consideration of quality of life in human settlements are ancient history. It would be foolish assume that water pollution, soil erosion, stream sedimentation, flooding, and loss of riparian forests have not been problems for the human race before-and given the historical record, they will probably continue to be well in future. It would also be improper to proceed with discussion of restoration without recognizing that historical concepts and practices are responsible for the development of field of restoration.

There is a need to look at river not only as channel flowing water but as a corridor. River corridor is a term developed in planning field. River corridor includes more than channel which carries water most of the time like floodplain which carries its higher flows, riparian trees, plants that grow on higher

groundwater tables and moist soil along the drainage way etc. This stream related environment is to be taken into consideration while planning.

River planning or more appropriately watershed planning can be divides in to three fields: 1) River corridor planning: - focused on development of local or regional multi-use parkways or greenways along the river. 2) Floodplain managers: - who identify, regulate and manage flood hazard areas and 3) Comprehensive watershed managers:- who make and attempt to implement plans that address water quality, water supply, flood control and environmental needs in a coordinated way for a region.


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Practice of urban stream restoration techniques are simply carry forward of 1930s and earlier traditions. Further exploration of the historical roots of environmental restoration, resources management, and design of landscapes and town relevant to todays restoration practices. Take us back to Roman Empire.

Now as we observe streams and rivers in urban India are on the verge of collapse or are already dead. We also know that these types of problems are already faced in foreign countries after industrial revolution. And the similar this we observe all around the worlds nowadays especially in developing countries also. In India either they are encroached or sources of water to them are dried up. Some places they are converted into sewage drains. Because water is being pumped from upstream sites of the city silt and hardened garbage is observed inside Indian rivers. Although we also find that there are no incentives by civic body to clean their streams, as like they are not responsible for it. Also because of insufficient STPs sewage drained by city is problematic for downstream towns, and also for themselves. We find no success story from any Pollution control board about restriction of rivers pollution from municipal or industrial sources, or about restoration activity. Although if unofficially observed pollution control board are themselves observed as manipulating river pollution test data, to stay away from high courts questioning. This shows that all over the India these departments are irresponsible by taking into account, that they will stay safe from high court behind the curtains of their laboratory walls.

1.2 NEED OF THE STUDY India is facing river related problems which are been faced way back by

developed countries after industrial revolution. It would be an incorrect perception that these developed countries are not facing any problems in their streams today, and the correct point of view would be that we in India are not utilizing their learning of past into our streams corridors.

Indian cities have turned backs on their streams, stream corridors and their watersheds. Civic bodies dont even have a clue about what next step they should


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take. The whole problem is new to India. And to develop foreign practices as per our community to help rivers is not that much difficult either.

We find that property prices along the streams are low. Slums are situated on the banks of stinking and polluted rivers, whether they are authorized or unauthorized. Streams are regarded as sewage drains. We can find cases that these types of problems are tackled in many countries and they do have quantified benefits related to it. Studying these cases you can find that it is not difficult to use these same strategies in India. Therefore there is a need to quantify the benefits that, restoration of rivers can achieve for the city, instead of just to cover streams with concrete or to channelize them. Wherever civic body used such practices they observed to have created more problems for the city. Therefore River needs holistic approach for its management, rather than treatment of short term symptoms.

Nagpur city is drained by three rivers which form three watersheds in city. These three watersheds are called north zone, central zone and south zone and are almost parallel to each other. This gives city to appropriately manage its sewer

and storm water efficiently in future as well as today. As we see centrally located Nag river is mostly been drained by the

sewage city generate which is about 450 MLD. Historically this rivers use to flow perennially when sewage was not the problem and the water from the river is been used for farming and bathing purposes.

Streams from outside the municipal boundary limits drain the lakes situated on the west side of the city. These lakes are artificially created in historic time to trap the water. And now what Nagpur Municipal Corporation says is that all the three rivers in city have their origin from overflow point of these lakes.

This statement itself is blunt and unscientific. When a stream is situated in a city municipality has a responsibility for its environment, for which they should consider all area of watershed that rivers covers. As the matter of fact Nag River is one of the 20 rivers that are been notified by state environment department. Nag Rivers is notified in two stretches. First stretch from its origin to Ambazari Lake is notified as A-II class and the second stretch from Ambazari lakes overflow


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point to confluence point with Kanhan River as SW-II class. Under the influence of industrial lobby MPCB is in negative intention to denotify the first stretch of Nag River. That will cause serious problem for the city in future because the water in Ambazari Lake and the river through the city will get extremely polluted with toxic industrial waste.

Kanhan is completely polluted by Nag and then it goes to Vainganga. 30-km stretch of Vainganga River which is an 'A II' grade river is completely polluted. Gosekhrud dam and its backwater is of no use to peoples, even cattles and animals can not drink that water.

City lacks STPs to clean the sewage, as well as their no guarantee that

these STPs will perform sufficiently. Although in future there will be additional STPs and decentralized STPs will be added into the strength. But the Pollution control boarding is hiding the true pollution level in rivers to stay safe from high courts questioning, whereas mere sewage is flowing inside the river.

As per cities previous record 400-450 TPD of solid waste is lifted out of 820 TPD of solid waste generation. This rest of the waste is been dumped into the river by workers in to the city. Although today bin free city scheme is implemented in Nagpur there were many points along the rivers that are been used to place bins to collect local garbage into one place for further displacement but is dumped by workers into the river as being lethargic and irresponsible about their duties. Many stretches of streams are bundied by concrete walls. And in some places are been channelized to create more space.

1.3 RESEARCH QUESTION What are the different sources of pollution and how are they affecting river environment?

What is the physical and environmental condition of the river? What are the initiatives taken by stakeholders and officials? What are the benefits of river improvement activities?


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1.4 AIM To find impact of urbanization of urban water bodies

1.5 OBJECTIVES To identify problems faced by urban streams. To identify causes and sources of pollution in streams. To understand the benefits of stream improvement activity in urban areas. To find scope for the uplifting or improvement of streams in urban area.

1.6 METHODOLOGY First the study area is taken, although Nagpur was very easy for travelling

through, it is a good location to study this subject. By going through readily available materials such as City Sanitation plan, City Development Plan, Environmental Status Report the dynamic of the city was understood. Study of these government documents make it possible to understand the management of sewer and storm water in city. Civic body has divided city into three zones. And these three zones have their own first order stream channel (i.e.Nallahs) and second order stream channels (i.e. river). And finally when these three second order stream channels i.e. three rivers meet near the boundary of Nagpur Municipal Corporation they form a third order stream channel called Nag River same as the second order stream channel in cental zone. These three zones are different is characteristics and in the extent of urbanization. Central zone is more historic and dense in population while other two are new. After Gathering the drainage maps and sewerage maps for the city it is possible to understand the mechanism and network of streams present in the city. This also made it very easy to survey these River stretches and take photographs for later understanding. It was also been understood from this drawing that which points on the streams are necessary to visit for survey. Altogether the study of these documents and maps made it easier to ask more specific questions to the officials and gather more specific required data. Visiting institutions such as NEERI, LUSS&P, ISRO


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remote sensing division had no constructive benefits. NMC had asked NEERI to do environmental monitoring of Nag River, and NEERI had published the report on it in public domain and have monitoring data till year 2010. But attempt to gather these monitoring data was unsuccessful. From irrigation department flood line map of Pilli river is obtained. In Nagpur Municipal Corporation water resource department called as Pench cell is of very great help for this study. From here the information about River rejuvenation project submitted for approval from NRCD is gathered. Gradient of river, salient features of Nag River, Landuse along the stretch of the Rivers, Proposals under the rejuvenation plan and the description of all the nodes identified on the basis of heritage/ religious, institutional structures, significance of ecology, Physical and visual connectivity etc. of Nag River was gathered. This made it easier to do assessment of chainages (segments) of the Nag river stretch. Visiting all the stretch of Nag River made it possible to assess the condition river, cause of pollution, Landuse problems, encroachments, erosion and flood problems. Visiting all these stretches with someone who was residing in the city for so long make it always more beneficial to understand it much better way and know about all the historic development activities. Meeting with developers of Eco-development project for Nag River helped to understand about the water bodies in Nagpur much better way. As a result it was possible to understand what is really happening with the streams and water bodies of Nagpur.

1.7 SCOPE & LIMITATION As to find out the impact of urbanization on urban water bodies this study

will examine the different sources of pollution and their causes. Understand the physical and environmental condition of the river. Sources of the pollution and how the River is getting polluted through Nallahs and storm water drains and sewage systems carrying sewage. Studying the land use along the River so that the scope for the rejuvenation activity can be identified. Investigation of actions taken by various stake holders for the rejuvenation of Rivers as well as the measures taken to reduce the pollution in the River. The study will naturally


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include collection of all available information, field visits, evaluation of technologies in use, survey and investigations, photography and mapping the existing land use along the river body, analysis of environmental and ecological constraints. Depending upon the available environmental data the study covers the environmental status of the river stretch within the area under Nagpur Municipal Corporation only.

1.8 CHAPTERISATION

Chapter 1 - Introduction This chapter discussed the scenario of urban rivers in India and world. It focuses direction of the study towards the factors which are to be taken into consideration when studying urban River.

Chapter 2 - Literature review In this chapter firstly it is understood that what the urban river is in present context. How different activities affect the river and how that can become the problem of civic body. How a river can be a positive part of the urbanization, how can the stakeholders, activists, citizens can come forward to restore the streams in their community. For that it is also necessary to understand the basics of technical knowhow on river.

Chapter 3 - Baseline profile of Nagpur city This chapter to understand the condition of the urban river and its surrounding, environmental condition , physical profile, physical status, landuse alongside the Nag River is studied and assimilated so as to give the condition of Nag River. As well as basic infrastructure: like water supply, sewerage system, storm water drainage, solid waste management, slums dwellers access to services; City profile: like physical, geographical & demographic characteristics; landuse, density, literacy, sex ration and population forecast are compiled in such way to be able to analyze the impact of theirs on the urban River.

Chapter4 Data analysis In this chapter all the watershed that are present in Nagpur, their condition, scope. The importance of watershed that is been outside the city boundary and its impact


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of river bodies in Nagpur. Segment wise assessment of Nag river, as landuse along that stretch, pollution causing areas and factors, water quality, proposals etc. And then stake holders and their effort to restore the Nag River. It consists of various moments, drives by citizens and technical suggestions given by citizens and activist. It also encompasses the planning, praposals and efforts by Nagpur Municipal Corporation and officials personal interest to revive the river. Later it is discussed what will be the affect of construction of bunds and check dams along the river stretch. As well as the effect of construction of pilot STPs. It will

be also understood that the how much the city needs to improve the environmental condition and pollution in river and also the pollution in river.

Chapter5 Conclusion In this chapter it is discussed about major issues that are been faced by municipality and citizens. Which are the proposals and actions taken by municipality and citizens to improve rivers condition. Are these proposals temporarily ceasing the problems or can they create more problems. All the findings and actions that are through the thesis after analysis are concluded in this chapter.


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2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 BASICS ON STREAM Streams are a resource most generally taken for granted and completely

ignored. But wherever we are, we all live in watersheds and depend upon it. To begin learning about a local stream, river we have to become familiar with the watershed they run through and the history that comes with them. (Riley)

No one has quantified the differences between streams, brooks, creeks, gulches, washes and Rivers and These mostly loosely defined terms represent cultural and regional customs more than they define or standardize a geographic feature. The question of what a creek or stream is in a geographical or geologic

sense must be answered in the context of what a watershed is. (Riley)

Figure 1 Watersheds and streams orders

Source: (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group)Stream corridor restoration principles, processes and practices, 2001.


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Figure 2 Watersheds and streams orders

Source: (Riley) Restoring Streams in Cities, 1998

Everyone lives in watershed. A watershed is the land area drained by a particular stream or river. A good way to classify a stream is to avoid the terms inherently used as creek, nallah, stream, river and gulch etc. Small streams join to form larger streams in a branching pattern that forms a drainage network. Therefore, larger watersheds are made up of a joining of smaller watersheds. The different channels draining these watersheds can be designated by how many


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tributaries they have or by order. A first order stream channel has no tributaries, when two first order streams join; they create a second-order stream. When two second order streams join they create a third order stream and so on. One can designate a stream by its order; therefore others can immediately get a concept of the size of the drainage area concerned. Fig 2.1 and Fig 2.2 demonstrates a watershed within a watershed, a zoomed out watershed showing first and second order stream channels. (Riley)

Stream drainages follow the lowest topography and form valleys and become separated from each other by ridges or divides. Streams drain the water into one water stream system on one side of the ridge, while the streams on the other side drain into a separate valley. Topographic maps use contour lines to designate divides, valleys, and drainage pattern and to connect points of the same elevation. If the lines are evenly spaced and far apart, they represent a gently sloping landscape. Closely spaced and jagged lines indicate a Sleep and rough landscape. A topographic map gives a three dimensional picture of a watershed. The boundaries of the watershed are indicated by the hill and ridges for drainages. By measuring the drainage area you can understand how the stream and its watershed relate to other watersheds.

Find out what stream, river, or other body of water your stream flows into. This other body of water may have a great deal of influence on the behavior of the stream. (Riley)

Ann L. Riley in her book Restoring streams in cities says, A community can choose the option of consigning an urban stream to an open or closed storm sewer, or it can decide to manage the stream as a community amenity. A stream can be used as a dynamic economic feature to draw shoppers and tourist to a business district. Some communities use their streams as educational laboratories in classrooms from kindergartens to university graduate schools. (Riley)

She also said that, Stream-channel restoration project combined with some watershed management activities (such as fencing, erosion control, and tree-planting projects) and land-use planning and regulations can turn a stream from a public to a public amenity. Stream restoration methods can anticipate and respond


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to the problems of flood and erosion damage caused by urbanization and provides design concepts to be used in lieu of the most common destroyers of the urban stream environment: rock or concrete rubble (riprap) bank stabilization projects, channelization or stream straightening and vegetation removal projects, and culverting of piping of streams underground. In densely built-up cities, for example, badly damages streams can be repaired and redeemed as aesthetic resources with some ecological integrity. (Riley)

2.2 CHANNEL EQUILIBRIUM In one weighting pan is balanced with sediment load and streamflow on

the other. The hook holding the sediment pan can slide along the horizontal arm according to sediment size. The hook holding the streamflow side slides according to stream slope.

Figure 3 Factors affecting channel equilibrium

Source: (Lane) E.W. Lane, The Importance of Fluvial Morphology in Hydraulic Engineering Proceedings of American Society of civil Engineers.


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Lanes balance illustrates that a change in any of these four variables indicates the need for a corresponding change in one or more of the other variables to restore equilibrium. For example, if a stream is capable of carrying more sediment than it has entering it, it will erode and transport material from its bed and lower its elevation. That will lower the base level for its tributary streams, which will erode in turn, producing a greater sediment load to the main stream. As the eroding channels flatten their grades, their ability to carry away sediment is diminished. As the amount of material carried down the streams increases and the streams ability to transport the sediment decreases, the streams begin to reach a state of equilibrium. The quantity of sediment, assuming the sediment size and water discharges remained the same, directly influences the slope.

Alluvial streams that are free to adjust to changes in these four variables generally do so and reestablish new equilibrium conditions. Non-alluvial streams such as bedrock or artificial, concrete channels are unable to follow Lane's relationship because of their inability to adjust the sediment size and quantity variables.

2.3 IMPACT OF URBANIZATION Table 1 Impact of urbanization

Change in Land or Water Use Possible Hydrologic Effect 1 Transition from pre-urban state:

Removal of trees or vegetation,

construction of scattered city-type houses & limited water & sewage facilities.

Decrease in transpiration & increase in storm flow. Increased sedimentation of streams.

2 Drilling of wells Some lowering of water table

3 Construction of septic tank &

sanitary drains. Some increase in soil moisture & perhaps

a rise in water table. Perhaps some waterlogging of land & contamination of nearby wells or streams from overloaded sanitary drains system.


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4 Transition from early-urban to middle-urban stage: Bulldozing of land for mass housing; some topsoil removal; farm ponds filled.

Accelerated land erosion and stream sedimentation and aggradation. Elimination of smallest stream by filling or culverting.

5 Mass construction of housed; paving of streets; building of culverts.

Decreased infiltration resulting in increased storm water and flood flow & lowered ground-water levels. Flood at channel construction (culverts) on remaining small streams. Occasional overtopping or undermining of banks of artificial and natural channels.

6 Discontinued or abandonment of some shallow well.

Rise in water table.

7 Diversion of nearby streams for public water supply.

Decrease in flow between points of diversion & disposal. Fish and other aquatic life decline of are extinguished. Riparian areas degrade or disappear.

8 Untreated or inadequately treated sewage discharge into streams or disposal wells.

Pollution of streams or wells. Death of

fish and other aquatic life. Inferior quality of water available for supply & recreation at downstream populated areas.

9 Transition from middle- to late-urban stage: Urbanization of area completed by addition of more houses & streets, & of public, commercial, & industrial buildings

Reduced infiltration & lowered water table, Streets & gutters act as storm drains, creating flashy and higher flood peaks & lower base flow of local streets.

10 Larger quantities of untreated waste discharged into local

Increased pollution of streams & concurrent increased loss of aquatic life.


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streams. Additional degradation of water available to downstream users.

11 Abandonment of remaining shallow wells because of pollution.

Rise in water table.

12 Increase in population requires

establishment of new water supply & distribution system, construction of distant reservoirs, diverting water from upstream sources within or

outside basin.

Increase in local steam flow if supply is

from outside basin. Decrease in local stream flow if supply includes local sources also. Wide-scale loss of river system for fish, wildlife and recreation.

13 Channels of upstream put in

artificial channels & culverts.

Increased flood damage if culverts are undersized and increased backup flows. Increased downstream flood flows if channelized or culverted. Changes in channel geometry & sedimentation load. Aggradation and /or degradation up- and downstream of project or structure. Stream-channel stability problems and loss of floodplain storage.

14 Construction of sanitary

drainage system & treatment plant for sewage and improvement of storm drainage system to move water to rivers,

bays, lakes etc.

Removal of additional water from area, further reducing infiltration recharge of aquifer. Degradation of stream channels used as storm water conveyance system.

15 Drilling of deeper, large-capacity industrial wells.

Lowered ground water level, decreasing pressure of artesian aquifer: perhaps

some local overdrafts & local subsidence. Overdraft of aquifer may result in salt


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water encroachment in coastal area and in pollution of contamination by inferior of brackish waters.

16 Increase use of water for air conditioning.

Overloading of sewers & other drainage facilities. Possibly some recharge to water table, owing to leakage of disposal lines.

17 Drilling of recharge wells. Rising of ground water (level) surface. 18 Wastewater reclamation and

utilization

Recharge to ground-water aquifers. More efficient use of water resources.

Source: (Riley) Restoring Streams in Cities, 1998 adopted from U.S. Geological Survey Circular, Water Facts and Figures for Planners and Managers, J. H. Feth, 1973.

2.4 THE VALUE OF STREAMS AND THEIR IMPROVEMENT Ann L. Riely in her book restoring streams in cities says, Streams and

rivers are industrial transportation corridors, industrial water supplies, and domestic and agricultural supplies. Their water produce fish for sport fishing and provide for a recreational industry of white water rafting, kayaking and canoeing. They inspire trails, greenbelts, and parks and can enhance the values of commercial areas and downtowns of cities by attracting people to them. They can even be tourist attractions. Riparian (streamside) vegetation along streams has important value for aesthetics, shade, and wildlife habitat. (Riley)

2.4.1 Quantifying the value of stream Resource economist can be engaged in describing and quantifying the

value of streams using strategies such as,

1) Recreation oriented study to identify expenditure associated with a river site. Cost of gear and travel to recreate at the stream are to be quantified to provide rupee figure showing how much the river users are willing to spend to enjoy the resource.


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2) Quantification of changes in real estate and business location values near the stream or can be associated with its ability to create a higher quality of life. 3) Redistribution of benefits and costs associated with modifying the river like a stream of river project such as flood control or hydroelectric project. 4) Inherent values that public places on knowing the resource is there or for the ecological value or regional identity or other broad concepts. 5) Evaluation of relative benefits of environmental restoration projects that are the part of or substitute of conventional public works, storm-water management, erosion and flood control projects. (Riley)

A unique contribution of the urban waterway movement is the broad range of objectives it brings to the field of environmental restoration. No drainage ditch, culvert, irrigation or barge canal, trapezoidal flood channel, concrete waterway, pond, lake, wetland, or degraded creek goes unvalued. The greatest value of improvement, upliftment, and mainly restoration projects however may be the restoration of a sense of community pride and participation. (Riley)

The natural bible for the urban waterway restoration movement is Robert Pyle's The Thunder Tree: Lessons from an Urban Wildland, in which he describes the critical part an irrigation canal, the Highline Canal in Colorado, played in his personal development. Notwithstanding the purpose of the canal, to divert the Platte River to promote settlement of the Denver area, the canal provided a lifeline of rich, natural experiences for city-bound youth. Because urban areas are increasingly devoid Of any kind of natural environment, much of countries youth grows up with little sense of geographic place and suffer from a depravation of Pyle describes as "The extinction of experience." Ann L. Riley in her book. (Riley)

2.5 WHAT STREAM NEEDS Most of the times local authorities just do the removing the vegetation and

rocking. In some places the large urban streams are put underground or somewhere straighten out to make new land available for development and to reduce flood damage. Big apartment buildings built on to the edge of the bank is


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also observed were the stream is used as a dumping ground for garbage and become a public nuisance. But this idea is most of the times never occurs to the official that the efforts taken by the civic body towards physical problems of the river can be directed and towards turning it into a community feature. Like creating open spaces, trails, promenades and pedestrian footbridges that can put the town or a city on the map for tourist and provide with many new positive character. (Riley)

2.5.1 Areas of concern for having healthy stream There are five major areas of concerns for those who want to have healthy

stream that enhances their neighborhood or city, 1) To save existing healthy streams from the impact of new urban development by putting landuse regulations in place. A common destroyer of stream is placement of structures too close to banks of the stream. 2) If there are structures near to the banks then there is a need to use the most environmentally and aesthetically sensitive technology available to protect the stream and the structures. 3) Negotiation for environmentally sensitive stream-channel maintenance practices by engineering officials and a need to remove culverts and concrete linings.

4) Address the water pollution through conventional treatment facilities and restoration methods. 5) To address the need for an adequate water supply for life in the stream. (Riley)

2.5.2 Management objectives for helping the stream So to help the stream one of more of the following management objectives

has to be considered, 1) Landuse planning and site design to regulate stream corridors 2) Usage of environmentally sensitive flood, erosion and channel instability solution

3) Usage of environmentally sensitive maintenance strategies


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4) Replacement of culverts and concrete lined channels with more natural environment

5) Improvement of water quality, water supply and Habitat for stream life (Riley)

1) Landuse planning and site design to regulate stream corridors Landuse planning and site design can protect a natural waterway from the

classic degradation caused by thoughtless urban development. Landuse keeps hazardous zones such as floodplains and river meander zones away from development. These hazardous areas can be can be designated as open spaces, parks, recreational areas, trails, hiking and bicycle path and transportation corridors. Site design standards are regulations provide guidelines for how to design a development once the development is properly located in the community by the land-use plan. Site-design measures can call for protection of stream-corridor buffer zones, minimal impervious surfaces and impacts to native vegetation, and sound storm water management. Buffer zones of natural streamside vegetation and the use of natural and storm-water detention areas instead of sewer pipe greatly reduce the impacts of development on streams by reducing creek storm flows and runoff pollution. Setback requirements that site structures away from creeks lower the risk of future property damages from overbank flows and changing stream meanders. Adequate land-use planning and site-design measures create cost savings for community by avoiding problems to begin with. Trail planning can also be integrated into this. Such as trails for walkers, joggers and hikers along the stream if the undeveloped zone follows along the stream. Planning to add a trail later without an existing undeveloped public right-of-way is much more difficult but is done as part of greenways movement to make urban and suburban centers more livable. (Riley)

2) Usage of environmentally sensitive flood, erosion and channel instability solution

If there is a situation where structures are very near to the stream and the area is flood prone, then we need to use most environmentally sensitive


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technology available to protect both streams and structures. Restoration alternatives itself can be the substitute for the conventional engineering practices to reduce flood and erosion. Temporary dams can be inserted in doorways and over windows before the stream crest into town. Rock walls or landscape Bern can be added to development to avoid floodwater damage to structures. Structures can be elevated to the higher foundation. (Riley)

3) Usage of environmentally sensitive maintenance strategies Conventional flood-control projects do not include aesthetics or ecological

values in their objectives. Vegetation is removed to increase the space for the channel for flood flows. While cleaning of silt from the river, removal of garbage, debris, furniture, old boots, and shopping carts, plastic can itself increase the channel capacities for flood flows. Instead municipalities create a way for eater to pass through and also removal of vegetation for increased capacity of river span to hold water. While cleanup projects can be the way to get start the restoration process. (Riley)

4) Replacement of culverts and concrete lined channels with more natural environment

In many urban areas only remnants of the former riparian environment remain. Streams are often relegated to culverts and buried underground to act as storm sewers. If not buried, they are contained in sterile concrete channels and locked behind chain-link fences. Many cities regret the loss of their streams and rivers as historical, aesthetic, and environmental assets and are trying to undo some of the damage. (Riley)

The city of Milwaukee Wisconsin is making plans to remove the concrete

from lincoln Creek in the center of town. Providence, Rhode Island, removed slabs of concrete bridging a river in order to restore the city's waterfront. The cities of Napa, Arcata, El Cerrito, and Berkeley, California; Salt Lalte City, Utah; and San Antonio, Texas, and Providence, Rhode Island, have dug up once buried streams and rivers and restored natural channels. Bellevue, Washington: St. Paul,


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Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; and Denver, Colorado are among those cities that have plans to "daylight" creeks and jackhammer out concrete. (Riley)

5) Improvement of water quality, water supply and Habitat for stream life To dale, most nonprofit efforts to restore stream environments have

focused on water quality and fish habitat improvement. In the past two decades ricer restoration programmers involving stream bank repair and vegetation have become a part of state and local body responsibilities to comply with the nonpoint-source pollution control requirements (Riley)

2.6 INCENTIVES FOR URBAN STREAM RESTORATION (IMPROVEMENT/REJUVENATION) PROJECTS

Many restoration project around the world are the result of incentives that drawn the attention towards the resource. Some of them are revegetation projects or trail building or landuse planning projects. We can see there are the reasons involved why cities, rural towns and neighborhoods have been motivated to enhance their local streams. Following are the incentives that motivate the

communities in various cases. (Riley) Reduce flood damage

Reduce damage from a historic or cultural resource

Preserve or restore a historic or cultural resource

Encourage the return of birds and wildlife in urban refuges

Develop pedestrian and bicycle trails.

Upgrade the quality of life in urban and neighborhood environments.

Restore a regional or local identity.

Provide greenbelts, open spaces and parks.

Create boating and other instream recreation opportunities.

Create interesting educational opportunities for schools.

Return or improve recreational and commercial fishing.

Revive a decaying downtown and a depressed commercial economy.


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Create meaningful jobs and provide job training. Increase property values.

Correct the performance problems and reverse the damage of large or small engineering projects.

Provide a safe food source for family fishers.

Return public life and commerce to urban waterfronts.

2.7 WHAT IS RESTORATION? River rejuvenation, Improvement, upliftment, are no river restoration, but

all these activities includes some or other activities and factors of restoration. Restoration in urban area needs complicated compromises and agreements

to establish the objectives based on natural history and human settlement history that has shaped the current land uses and ecological systems. (Riley)

Ecological and urban settlement needs can be met if we create a landscape that is more self sustaining than existing conditions. That is changing the river into a greater balance. This balance means that it is not excessively eroding or depositing sediment. It will also have biologically diverse aquatic life and will have nutrients, algae, proper temperature and other chemical parameters. (Riley)

Returning the physical feature of river or a stream will then not need much of the attention towards sedimentation, erosion and pollution problems. Physical features of the River are streamside trees and shrubs, the channel with its natural width and depth, pools, riffles and meanders. (Riley)

Restoration is not a fish hatchery, or even Fisheries restoration is not a fish

hatchery. Where fish are raised at great expense in captivity and released to rivers. Because rivers and lakes stocked fish cannot support life cycle for itself therefore they must have been continuously been restocked. Therefore fisheries restoration is a reintroduction of wild genetic stock to the river that can support its life cycle by itself. That means recreating spawning and rearing habitats, removal of barriers to migration and restoring the shelter, favorable temperatures and water quality. (Riley)


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Restoration is not a just a landscaping. Landscaping in restoration means that it should be at its best so that it can create new environments that provide sanctuary, adventure, symbolism, recreation, entertainment and sustenance. Landscaping is used to mitigate for landuse changes such as building of freeway, offices, parking lots, housing developments and of water projects. Landscaping in restoration is not the screening of structures by usage of planting designs or to say creation of native garden with water running through it. (Riley)

Restoration is not just planting trees and shrubs along a stream channelization project even if the native plant species are used. It should be done as an add-on to the watersheds. Restoration is the revegetation of stream banks so that they do not collapse under high velocity of flows but continue to work as a component in a dynamic system in which meandering, aggradations and degradation of the channel occur in balance. (Riley)

Restoration is not the construction of small and large dams in channels. It is not rip rapping and armoring of stream banks in to the place. So that only the banks upstream and downstream and across are subjected to the changing dynamics f the stream. Armoring of river is the classic example of an intervention causing the need of never ending series of adjustments in response to new problems it causes. So ultimately authorities have to armor more of the banks of river. (Riley)

Most plans excessive erosion by a localized remedy such as placing rubble or rock against the bank at the erosion point. But many of these are unable to stop the erosion as expected. What is needed is to seek the cause of the instability and why it was eroding. And design the restoration so that it corrects the imbalances in the entire system. (Riley)

2.7.1 Watershed perspective A stream with sedimentation problem needs an answer to from where the

sedimentation load is coming from. The source may be the new housing development or a culvert put in wrong gradient just few feet away. It will be very difficult to band aid symptoms of permanent change in the watershed such as


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badly designed watershed or a development project were large amount of sediments are contributing to the stream channel. Therefore improvement of river also needs to address larger problems. It has to take in account the storm water drainage system designed or to be designed for the city. But these imbalances can be remedied by upstream catchment basins, gully check dams that control upper hill erosion and revegetation projects. Solution sediments caused by culverts is to redesign them or completely remove them replacing the bridges or simple fords if at upstream grade crossings. (Riley)

2.7.2 Neighborhood perspective River Restoration, rejuvenation, Improvement activities in cities and town

must include community. The greatest value of these projects can be the new sense of community identity and pride created by the participation in restoration or rejuvenation project. Planning and project implementation should include all citizens who may have a stake in the project. Because if key people felt left out in decision making or because of misunderstanding about what the project will do, then because of public opposition the whole project can stop. Therefore it is necessary to obtain minimum vandalism and assumption of long-term vigilance for the project. (Riley)

2.7.3 When to act A varity of human chages and natural disasters can destabilize the streams

equilibrium. In many situations, a stream will find a new equilibrium without intervention. In other situations, a stream will defy attempts to manipulate it by blowing out, eroding, and bypassing bank protection projects. Sometimes native plant species will return naturally and more quickly than replantation. There is a significant history of failure of make- work type of project on streams that may do more harm than good to the correction of imbalances in channels and watersheds. Therefore a planner, municipal authorities first consult local professionals,

geomorphologist, hydrologist, and knowlwgable peoples for help who knew rivers past. (Riley)


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2.8 TECHNICALS UNDERSTANDING OF STREAM NECESSARY FOR URBAN RIVER STAKEHOLDER 2.8.1 Overview of stream corridor

Practitioners categorize streams based on the balance and timing of the stormflow and baseflow components. There are three main categories: 2.8.1.1 Categories of streams:-

Ephemeral streams flow only during or immediately after periods of precipitation. They generally flow less than 30 days per year.

Intermittent streams flow only during certain times of the year. Seasonal flow in an intermittent stream usually lasts longer than 30 days per year.

Perennial streams flow continuously during both wet and dry times. Baseflow is dependably generated from the movement of ground water into the channel. (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group 1-16)

2.8.1.2 Spatial structure of the stream:- Landscape ecologists use four basic terms to define spatial structure at a

particular scale matrix, patch, corridor, and mosaic. See Fig 2.3.

Matrix: It is the land cover that is dominant and interconnected over the majority of the land surface. Often the matrix is forest or agriculture, but theoretically it can be any land cover type.

Patch: It is a nonlinear area (polygon) that is less abundant than, and different from, the matrix.

Corridor: It is a special type of patch that links other patches in the matrix. Typically, a corridor is linear or elongated in shape, such as a stream corridor.

Mosaic: It is a collection of patches, none of which are dominant enough to be interconnected throughout the landscape. (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group)

2.8.1.3 Structure within the Stream Corridor Scale

Riffles and pools


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Woody debris

Aquatic plant beds

Islands and point bars Examples of corridors might include:

Protected areas beneath overhanging Banks

The thalweg, the channel within the channel that carries water during low-flow conditions.

Lengths of stream defined by physical, chemical, and biological similarities or differences.

Lengths of stream defined by humanimposed boundaries such as political borders or breaks in land use or ownership.

2.8.2 Cross section of stream corridor In cross section, most stream corridors have three major components. The

three main components of the river corridor can be subdivided by structural features and plant communities. (Vertical scale and channel width are greatly exaggerated.).

Stream channel, a channel with flowing water at least part of the year.

Floodplain, a highly variable area on one or both sides of the stream channel that is inundated by floodwaters at some interval, from frequent to rare.

Transitional upland fringe, a portion of the upland on one or both sides of the floodplain that serves as a transitional zone or edge between the floodplain and the surrounding landscape.


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Figure 4 Spatial structure.

Source: (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group), Stream corridor restoration principles, processes and practices, 2001.

Figure 5 A cross section of a river corridor.

Source: (Sparks), Bioscience, vol. 45, p. 170, March 1995. 1995 American Institute of Biological Science

2.8.3 Floodplain The floor of most stream valleys is relatively flat. This is because over

time the stream moves back and forth across the valley floor in a process called lateral migration. In addition, periodic flooding causes sediments to move


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longitudinally and to be deposited on the valley floor near the channel. These two processes continually modify the floodplain.

Through time the channel reworks the entire valley floor. As the channel

migrates, it maintains the same average size and shape if conditions upstream remain constant and the channel stays in equilibrium. (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group)

2.8.3.1 Two types of floodplains see Fig 2.5 Hydrologic floodplain, the land adjacent to the baseflow channel residing

below bankfull elevation. It is inundated about two years out of three. Not every stream corridor has a hydrologic floodplain.

Topographic floodplain, the land adjacent to the channel including the hydrologic floodplain and other lands up to an elevation based on the elevation reached by a flood peak of a given frequency (for example, the 100-year floodplain). Professionals involved with flooding issues define the boundaries of a floodplain in terms of flood frequencies. Thus, 100-year and 500-year floodplains are commonly used in the development of planning and regulation standards. (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group)

Figure 6 Hydrologic and topographic floodplains.

Source: (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group), Stream corridor restoration principles, processes and practices, 2001.


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2.8.3.2 Floodplain Landforms and Deposits Topographic features are formed on the floodplain by the lateral migration

of the channelthat result in varying soil and moisture conditions and provide a variety of habitat niches that support plant and animal diversity. See Fig 2.6. (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group)

Types of Floodplain landforms and deposits

Meander scroll, a sediment formation marking former channel locations.

Chute, a new channel formed across the base of a meander. As it grows in size, it carries more of the flow.

Oxbow, a term used to describe the severed meander after a chute is formed.

Clay plug, a soil deposit developed at the intersection of the oxbow and the new main channel.

Oxbow lake, a body of water created after clay plugs the oxbow from the main channel.

Natural levees, formations built up along the bank of some streams that flood. As sediment-laden water spills over the bank, the sudden loss of depth and velocity causes coarsersized sediment to drop out of suspension and collect along the edge of the stream.

Splays, delta-shaped deposits of coarser sediments that occur when a natural levee is breached. Natural levees and splays can prevent floodwaters from returning to the channel when floodwaters recede.

Backswamps, a term used to describe floodplain wetlands formed by natural levees. (The Federal Interagency Stream Restoration Working Group)

Impact of urbanization

impact of urbanization on water bodies: case of nag river at nagpur

Documents

urban water bodies

case of nag river

environmental planning

award of masters degree

list of figures

x list of maps

x list of annexure

partial fulfillment