Integrated River Restoration Protocol–the Restoration of Lower Order Streams in Large River Networks

Rivers are crucial for India’s water resources. The restoration of degraded rivers has received urgency of late, but the ongoing restoration of large perennial rivers like Ganga face setbacks due to their enormity and complexity. The new focus of river restoration must be on smaller low-order perennial streams, adopting a bottom-up restoration approach. Dedicated River Basin Organizations as custodians of such streams are needed to foster knowledge and understanding, and communicate and negotiate with stakeholders to maximize the benefits from rivers and enable sustainable development in the region. For urban streams, municipal wastewaters ensure a perennial source of streamflow, but a four-step water quality improvement cycle is envisaged. Several other measures are discussed for integrated river and water resource management, that can lead in stages to healthy rivers. Continuous monitoring, feedback, evaluation, and course correction of the restoration process will ensure eventual success.