Various initiatives and projects of Manila’s Pasig River were undertaken in collaboration with international donors, national government agencies, local governments, civil society groups, and the private sector since its restoration, which began with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Program in 1989. In 1999, a presidential mandate established the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) with the clear goal of restoring the Pasig River from a biologically dead river to Class "C" level—that which can sustain life—by 2014.

This paper discusses how sustainable development, with the use of modern technology and without compromising the vital ecosystems, can be achieved through the involvement of community people. It features the experience of a nine-year-long participatory river basin water resources management project in northwest Bangladesh.