Author: Shradha Goyal
Publication: The Times of India
Date: March 4, 2014
URL: http://content.magicbricks.com/industry-news/ahmedabad-real-estate-news/sabarmati-project-how-the-dying-river-got-a-new-life/65077.html?fromSite=toi&utm_source=toi&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=toi-mb-whitelabel

Many of our cities, especially Delhi, have been facing the repercussions of polluted rivers despite the government’s plans to clean and maintain them. But is it really that tough a task? Well, the development of Sabarmati River is an exemplary example of how a river can be de-polluted, redeveloped, maintained and even made to earn a livelihood for the city.

From a polluted and dying river, Sabarmati is today a river with well-paved riverfront, gardens and pathways. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) initiated the Sabarmati River Front Development Project in 1997. It aimed at giving a new lease of life to the river by making it more accessible for the public. In order to draw more and more citizens to the river banks, the government redeveloped about 10.4 km area on each side, creating about 185 hectares of reclaimed land.

Commenting on the vision of this project, Minaxi Ben Patel, the Mayor of the city, says, “Being the only river for the city of Ahmedabad, it was very important that we nurtured and developed it. It was essential to first bring the local public to it and then draw in the tourists. For this, not only was the river cleaned and paved, but the nearby areas too were worked upon for pleasurable visits.” Apart from making beautiful gardens and walkways on the river front, there are provisions for recreational activities such as boating, light shows and food joints.

The project has been a huge success and has won awards such as HUDCO National Award 2012 for Innovative Infrastructure Development and Prime Minister’s Award for excellence in urban planning and design 1999.

However, there were several challenges to be tackled to make it a success. And the major challenge was to rehabilitate the displaced slum dwellers and the laundry industry.

“Under the project, we planned about 4000 homes for Economically Weaker Sections, who form a major chunk of these slum dwellers,” said Anandi Ben Patel, the Urban Development Minister of Ahmedabad.

Not only has this project rehabilitated the slum dwellers to areas within Ahmedabad’s city limits, but has also provided them informal markets and an organised laundry industry to earn their living. The Dhobhi Ghat, which was once famous for traditional way of washing linen directly into the river has now been transformed into a modern day Dhobhi Ghat where traditional practices can be taken forward in a modern way. Similarly, on the eastern banks, a modern Gurjari Bazaar was initiated, which now offers a gamut of facilities such as proper roads, electricity, parking, platforms for vendors and carts and drainage facilities.

Giving details about the project, the website of Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project reports, “A key element of the project is a new linear two-level promenade. The lower promenade with a minimum width of 10 meters is just above water level, providing uninterrupted pedestrian access to the water. The upper promenade hosts a variety of public buildings, cultural and educational institutions, public parks and plazas and a few areas for commercial development, while new traffic infrastructure will connect the riverfront to the city.”

Truly, the Sabarmati River Front Development project is a great example of what an efficient and determined government can achieve.

- Shradha Goyal, Magicbricks.com Bureau