The Executive Committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) approved major projects to enhance scientific understanding and data-based decision-making across the Ganga basin.

Key Approved Projects 

• Glacier Monitoring in Himalayan Ganga headstreams: Led by the National Institute of Hydrology, focuses on glacier retreat, snow changes, melt-runoff, and risks like flash floods/GLOFs in upper Ganga basin.
• Digital Twin & Water Cycle Atlas for Ganga Basin: Uses AI and remote sensing for real-time basin management and climate resilience

• High-resolution SONAR riverbed surveys: Provides baseline underwater topography for sediment management, hydrodynamic modelling and e-flow planning under Namami Gange.
  • SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging): It is a technique that uses sound waves to detect, locate, and map underwater objects and surfaces.
• Aquifer Management &  recharge via paleochannels
  • The initiative will build MAR structures (recharge pits, shafts), install DWLRs (Digital Water Level Recorders) at six sites, and assess recharge impacts across two hydrological cycles to revive paleochannels and enhance groundwater storage.
• Digitization & Geospatial Database of Historic Ganga Maps: Digitizes old maps, builds a GIS portal for analysis of river morphology, floodplains, and channel migration.

About River Basin Management

• River Basin Management (RBM) refers to the coordinated management of all natural and man-made structures and processes linked to the water resources of a river basin.
• Institutional Arrangements: RBM requires dedicated governance institutions such as the National Ganga Council, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and State Ganga Committees to ensure integrated planning and implementation.
• Performance Indicators: RBM requires the use of measurable indicators such as water quality monitoring, pollution assessment, ecological hazard mapping, financial viability, and institutional capacity.

Essential Tasks for Water and Basin Management

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Namami Gange Programme 

• Launch: The Namami Gange Programme is an integrated conservation mission launched in 2014 to achieve effective abatement of pollution, rejuvenation, and overall protection of the Ganga River and its tributaries.
• Nodal Ministry: The programme is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Key Components: Namami Gange includes major interventions such as sewage treatment infrastructure, river surface cleaning, industrial effluent monitoring, rural sanitation, riverfront development, biodiversity conservation, and afforestation.
• Funding Structure: It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a budgetary outlay that supports both infrastructure creation and community-driven conservation initiatives.
• Community Involvement: Programmes like Ganga Vriksharopan Abhiyan, Ganga Praharis, and Ganga Quest promote people’s participation in river conservation.

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