This workshop aims to develop a Strategic Urban Resilience Framework (SURF) for Varanasi, grounded in the city’s unique context and long-term aspirations. Varanasi, one of the most climate-vulnerable cities in Uttar Pradesh, experiences some of the highest volumes of tourism and pilgrimage in India. Official and media-reported estimates indicate that the city received approximately 82 million visitors in 2022, with annual footfalls reportedly exceeding 100 million during 2023–24. These exceptionally large and seasonal inflows significantly intensify demand on urban infrastructure and services, particularly public transport, solid waste management, sanitation, healthcare facilities, housing, and public spaces along riverfronts and heritage precincts.
While Varanasi has made commendable progress through various Climate Action and Resilience Plans, critical gaps remain in translating these strategies into sustained, on-the-ground impact. There is an urgent need to identify and address the systemic and implementation-level barriers that hinder resilience-building efforts. The workshop will convene a diverse set of stakeholders—policymakers, government officials, private sector experts, IGOs, academia, and civil society—to reflect on Varanasi’s climate vulnerabilities, define priority resilience domains, and co-create actionable pathways to integrate resilience into the city’s development agenda.
This initiative is part of a wider effort to establish city-level SURF models across Uttar Pradesh, aligned with the state’s vision for climate-smart urbanisation and contributing meaningfully to Viksit Bharat 2047.
10:30 - 10:45 (IN)
Welcome Address
Ashish Kumar Singh, Former Additional Chief Secretary, Transport & Ports, Government of Maharashtra; Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation (Virtual)
Keynote Address
Brajesh Pathak, Honourable Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Medical Health, Family Welfare, Mother and Child Welfare, Uttar Pradesh
Arvind Kumar Sharma, Honourable Minister for Energy and Urban Development, Uttar Pradesh
Vote of Thanks
Aparna Roy, Fellow and Lead, Climate Change and Energy, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, ORF
10:45 - 11:00 (IN)
This session will focus on developing a long-term vision that shifts Varanasi from sustaining its systems to regenerating ecological and social well-being. It will articulate current challenges the city faces and define its resilience priorities.
Key Speakers
Neelkanth Tiwari, MLA, Varanasi South, Uttar Pradesh
Saurabh Srivastava, MLA, Varanasi Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh (Virtual)
Aditi Patel, Official Representative, MLA, Sewapuri, Uttar Pradesh
Ashok Kumar Tiwari, Mayor, Varanasi Nagar Nigam
Moderator
Aparna Roy, Fellow and Lead, Climate Change and Energy, Centre for New Economic Diplomacy, ORF
Group Photo and Tea Break
11:00 - 13:30 (IN)
Building on the vision, this session will define the key domains for a climate-resilient and people-centred Varanasi, focusing on water security, heat mitigation, tourism and mobility, public health, and sustainable governance by co-designing actionable strategies that embed climate and urban resilience into city systems, policies, and planning frameworks
Scene Setter
Himanshu Nagpal, Municipal Commissioner & CEO Smart City, Varanasi Nagar Nigam
Future-Proofing Varanasi’s Urban Form: Planning for 2047
What urban planning principles and infrastructure design decisions made today can ensure that Varanasi remains resilient, inclusive, and adaptive by 2047?
Initiator
R.K. Singh, Chief Engineer, Varanasi Development Authority
Discussants
Amit Kumar, Professor, Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University
Atul Kumar, Assistant Professor, Architecture, Planning and Design, Indian Institute of Technology- Banaras Hindu University
People Powering Resilience: Varanasi’s Inclusive Governance Model
How can citizen participation be institutionalised today to become the foundation of climate-resilient governance in Varanasi, making people not just beneficiaries, but co-creators of urban resilience?
Initiator
Savita Yadav, Additional Municipal Commissioner, Varanasi Nagar Nigam
Discussants
Ekta Singh, The Climate Agenda Aman, Strategic Lead, Kashvi Foundation
Abhay Shankar Tiwari, Secretary, ICA Health and Environment Society
Investment & Finance for Climate-Resilient Urban Futures
How can Varanasi leverage climate finance, carbon markets, and robust measurement and verification frameworks to mobilize sustained investment for climate-resilient urban development by 2047
Initiator
Manish Shukla, Chief Finance Officer
Discussant
Manish Dabkara, Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), EKI Energy Services Ltd (Virtual)
Rivers to Resilience: Reclaiming Varanasi’s Water Future
How can Varanasi transform its water future by rejuvenating the Ganga River, reviving traditional tanks and stepwells, and rethinking groundwater use to overcome recurring water insecurity, ensuring a reliable, equitable, and climate-resilient water system for all by 2047?
Initiator
Anoop Singh, General Manager, Jalkal Department
Discussants
Biplob Chatterjee, CEO and Director, Geovale Services Pvt Ltd
Devendra Mohan, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology- Banaras Hindu University
Health in Heat: Resilience in a Changing Climate
How can Varanasi integrate heat mitigation into urban planning such as through cool corridors, shaded pilgrim routes, water access, and climate-smart healthcare, to reduce heat stress and mortality as temperatures rise?
Initiator
Ritika Kapoor, Climate and Health Specialist, Natural Resources Defense Council
Discussant
Nimish Gupta, Senior Associate, Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP)
From Waste to Wellness: Varanasi’s Circular Health Vision
Building on its sanitation efforts and expansion of sewage treatment infrastructure, how can Varanasi scale and modernize its sewerage networks and treatment to sustainably manage resident and pilgrim flows, protect the Ganga’s water quality, safeguard public health, and advance a circular, sustainable urban future?
Initiator
Sandeep Bhargav, Zonal Sanitary Officer, Varanasi Nagar Nigam
Discussant
Ankit Lal, Founder, EcoPlore Bhitush Luthra, Independent Consultant, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Institute (WASH Institute)
Powering Progress: Reliable Energy for a Resilient Varanasi
Given Varanasi’s recurring power reliability challenges, how can energy sector reforms drive the city’s transition towards a resilient, inclusive, and low-carbon growth pathway? What innovations are needed to strengthen local grid stability, diversify energy sources through renewables and clean fuels, and power Varanasi’s industrial and urban transformation under the Vikshit Bharat vision?
Initiator
Piyush Nehra, Assistant Engineer- Electrical and Mechanical, Varanasi Nagar Nigam
Discussant
Rajesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Kornic Electro World Pvt Ltd
People, Pilgrimage, and Movement: Rethinking Urban Mobility
In a city shaped by continuous pilgrim and tourism inflows, what should Varanasi’s mobility ecosystem look like by 2047 to be seamless, low-carbon, and inclusive - and which institutional, infrastructural, and behavioural barriers must be addressed today to get there?
Initiator
ARM Roadways Varanasi Prasanna Ganesh, Executive Program Director, Toyota Motor Asia (Virtual)
Discussants
Abhishek Mudgal, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology- Banaras Hindu University IIT(BHU)
Nandan Dawda, Fellow, Urban Studies Programme, Observer Research Foundation
13:30 - 15:00 (IN)
Radhey Wadhwa, Research Assistant, Observer Research Foundation
