Restoring historic waterways a sound step

A new effort by the local authorities in the city of Kochi, India, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), is now underway to restore the city’s waterways, which are seen as crucial to helping rescue the city from the stranglehold of circling a UNEP’s press release, the project is part of UNEP’s Generation Restoration Cities initiative to advance nature-based solutions to urgent environmental challenges in urban areas around the world.

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In Kochi, a major port in the state of Kerala on India’s western coast and known as the “Queen of the Arabian Sea”, as per the UNEP press release, a dense network of rivers, creeks and canals was once the lifeline of the city. The waterways were transport routes for people and goods, provided water for daily use and drained monsoon stormwaters into the sea. But many have been neglected in recent decades amid rapid urbanization, some unplanned. Buildings and bridges have encroached on the waterways, obstructing their flow.

Untreated waste has polluted the increasingly stagnant waters. And invasive plants and mosquitos have replaced once-abundant fish and birds. Climate change is only adding to the problems: sea-level rise, extreme rainfall events and tidal surges have increased the risk of major flooding in the city, which is home to about 600,000 people.