Introduction

Tapi is a perennial river that runs through Surat and serves as a lifeline for over 6.5 million people. However, as it approaches the Arabian Sea, the river becomes extremely volatile in character. It carries saline tidal backflows to the city during high and low tides all the way up to the Singanpore weir, a weir cum causeway built to supply drinking water to Surat and prevent flooding.

The river and its surroundings are vulnerable to floods, which also leads to discharge of contaminated sewage from storm water outfalls. Apart from issues of water management after construction of Singanpore weir, the river bank has also witnessed rise in squatter settlements and slums. While there have been isolated attempts to curb these issues such as providing recreational facilities on banks of river, these ad hoc efforts of development need to be integrated in a comprehensive manner to see a truly rejuvenated Tapi river.

The Tapi Riverfront Development and Rejuvenation Project (TRDRP) is an initiative taken up by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) to develop the Tapi River (~33 km lateral length from Kathore Bridge to the proposed Rundh-Bhatha Barrage) in a holistic manner and increase its asset value for Surat. The project carefully examines and incorporates all the issues pertaining to the river into all-inclusive immediate and long-term solutions.

The primary focus of TRDRP is to strengthen the river edge against flood risk through a combination of riparian banks and engineered banks for a total length of 65.81 km (includes both sides). Additionally, the project aims to clean the river water through aeration systems, fulfil the water requirement for which people would otherwise depend on ground-water, provide universally accessible open spaces, and strengthen the road network.

The master plan will also integrate parallel relevant projects such as Heritage Precinct Redevelopment, Proposed Barrage, Riverfront Parks and Walkways. The Concept Master Plan is an attempt to formulate a blueprint of a protected, feasible, legible, and resilient river edge enriched with spaces designed and designated for congregation, festivals, and commercial activities. The riverfront is proposed to facilitate public interaction with the river by making it clean and accessible, and to transform the existing neglected waterfront into a centre for social, cultural and recreational activities in the city.

The approximate ballpark cost of the project is Rs. 3904 crores. This projec will be implemented in two phases: