ABSTRACT
Urban wetlands and waterways are vital for a city’s defence, transport, water supply, environment, and culture. However, overuse, environmental stress, and management issues degenerate their condition, particularly in countries with high populations, limited funds, and improper infrastructure. A megacity in eastern India, Kolkata is blessed with two significant rivers, an efficient canal system, and a wetland of international prominence. Unfortunately, various factors disturbed their natural flow, slaying them with pollution, sedimentation, and reduced aquatic biodiversity, thus losing their socio-cultural importance. The paper analyses the interactions and inter-relationships between the city’s main waterways in a comprehensive environmental, socio-economic, and cultural context. It also presents a prescriptive framework for the eco-restoration and management of the city’s waterways. The target-driven strategies comprise the spatio-physical components of land, land-water interface, and water for physical, ecological, and hydro-morphological restoration of these waterways as an urgent step towards urban sustainability and resilience.
Acknowledgements
All authors have equal contributions to the paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).