By Restoring India’s Kham River, a City Revives Its Cultural Legacy

This case study describes the Kham River Restoration Initiative in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, India. The project transformed a polluted seasonal river, previously used as a dumping ground, into a community asset through a combination of waste management infrastructure, ecological restoration, and community engagement. The initiative is notable for establishing the first Urban River Management Plan for a seasonal river in India.

• The Kham River in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar had degraded from a historical source of drinking water into a public health hazard due to population growth, unregulated sand mining, and unmanaged waste, leading many residents to view it as a 'nallah' or sewage drain.
• Since 2020, the restoration initiative has achieved significant environmental and social milestones, including the restoration of 54 acres of riparian zone, the integration of 25,000 households into new waste collection systems, and the elimination of flooding for two consecutive years.
• The project implemented a multi-layered waste management strategy that combined physical infrastructure—such as garbage traps and barriers on bridges—with the 'Unnati Waste Management Services' launched in 2021, which formalized the employment of Safai Saathis (waste pickers).
• The initiative focused on cultural and ecological revival by converting 110 'Garbage Vulnerable Points' into pocket parks and creating the 5-kilometer Riverside EcoPark, which includes revived ponds and an amphitheater made from recycled tires.
• The Kham is the first seasonal river in India to implement an Urban River Management Plan via the River Cities Alliance, providing a framework for managing smaller-scale and seasonal rivers that are not connected to the perennial Ganges River.

APA

World Resources Institute (2024). By Restoring India’s Kham River, a City Revives Its Cultural Legacy. https://www.wri.org/insights/kham-river-restoration

Chicago

World Resources Institute. By Restoring India’s Kham River, a City Revives Its Cultural Legacy. 2024. https://www.wri.org/insights/kham-river-restoration.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=By Restoring India’s Kham River, a City Revives Its Cultural Legacy |date=31 July 2024 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/kham-river-restoration |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2024restoring, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{By Restoring India’s Kham River, a City Revives Its Cultural Legacy}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/kham-river-restoration}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }