Since its inception in 2014, the event has covered topics as diverse as river health assessments, the threat of sand mining and the state of urban rivers around the country. In 2022, the India Rivers Week theme ‘Rivers as waterways in India: bane or boon?’ celebrated the historical use of rivers as waterways, looked at their current viability, and explored a future where participatory, ecosystem-based solutions are prioritised over the current centralised, infrastructure-based approach. There are already encouraging examples in place, and the IRF hopes to roll out more of these environmentally sensitive approaches across the country for the betterment of its rivers.

Read more about IRF’s work here.