Urban reservoirs across India are increasingly vulnerable to climate extremes, pollution, and land-use change, threatening their capacity to provide essential ecosystem services. This proposed study intends to explore the resilience of Kanke Dam—an urban reservoir in Ranchi, Jharkhand—under growing climate stress and anthropogenic pressure. Constructed as a municipal water source, Kanke Dam today supports diverse functions, including irrigation, fisheries, biodiversity, and recreation. However, it is experiencing degradation from drought variability, sedimentation, eutrophication, catchment encroachment, and untreated sewage inflows. The study will assess the current ecological and hydrological status of the dam, identify primary risk drivers, and propose nature-based solutions (NbS) to strengthen resilience. Potential interventions include catchment forestation, buffer wetland development, floating treatment wetlands, and integrated storm water management using bio swales and reed beds. Emphasis will be placed on participatory and community-based approaches to reservoir stewardship, drawing on emerging grassroots efforts in Ranchi. The study will adopt a qualitative case-study methodology, supported by a comparative review of urban lake restoration efforts in other Indian cities, and integrate spatial analysis, technical literature, and climate risk projections. The study will also examine the institutional and policy frameworks necessary for embedding NbS in urban reservoir management, highlighting the importance of local governance, stakeholder engagement, and long-term monitoring systems. Framed within the broader objective of promoting delta and peri-delta water security, this study implores Kanke Dam as a microcosm of challenges faced by small urban water bodies in India. It aims to contribute actionable insights for ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, urban climate adaptation, and sustainable development in secondary cities (SDG-6,13,15).