Urban ecosystem changes around natural drains: Case of Becharji Nala of Vishwamitri River in Vadodara City

Water is an indispensable part of settlements and the human ecosystem. From the past, the civilizations have grown on the banks of rivers all over the globe providing drinking water, convenient transportation channels, and abundant natural landscapes and causing moderate temperature. Thus the river is this cities’ most valuable natural resource”. With the rapid urbanization, these natural ecosystems have been degraded immensely based on the growth potential of the settlements and have affected the population. India has seen an incredible growth in urban population over the last few decades and its urban population has grown 14-fold from 1901 to 2011. The growing population has a large impact on the natural ecosystem and urban water. The paper draws attention to one of the prevalent case study of Vishwamitri river in Vadodara, and how rapid changes in an urban area has affected the ecology of the river with a special focus on Becharji Nala, its consequences while recognizing the environmental legislation and recommends prompt considerations for defining the best protection procedures.