The meeting focussed on sustainability in river rejuvenation. The Namami Gange program has been recognised as one of the top ten among the World Restoration Flagship initiatives by the UNEP and FAO.
By Dhanya Sanal K
In a significant push towards holistic river and environmental rejuvenation, the sixty-second Executive Committee (EC) Meeting of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), chaired by Rajeev Kumar Mital, Director-General, NMCG, focused on sustainability in river rejuvenation.
Conservation of critical wetlands and promoting the reuse of treated wastewater through city specific reuse plans and were deliberated in the meeting. The executive committee approved projects that align with the mission’s objectives of ecosystem restoration across the Ganga basin.
The Namami Gange programme has been recognised as one of the top ten World Restoration Flagship initiatives by UN Decade (UNEP and FAO).
In another important development, the executive committee gave the green light to the project on “Conserving and Sustainably Managing Nathmalpur Bhagad (Wetland) in Bihar’s Bhojpur District. The project’s is estimated to cost ₹3.51 crore.
This is the fifth wetland project being undertaken under the Namami Gange programme. It aims to establish an effective management arrangement for Nathmalpur Bhagad. So far, the conservation of four wetlands have been already sanctioned under the Namami Gange programme. These are:
- KalewadaJheel, Muzaffarnagar, UP
- Namiya Dah Jheel, Prayagraj, UP
- Reoti Dah Wetland, Ballia, UP
- Udhwa Lake (Ramsar Site) Sahibganj, Jharkhand
The conservation of these wetlands focus on integrating biodiversity and ecosystem service values into river basin conservation and developmental planning. The project proposes a dual approach with interventions at the sub-basin (Ghaghara, Gomti and Sone confluence) and site levels (Nathmalpur Bhagad), including activities such as wetland delineation, hydrological regime enhancement, species and habitat conservation, ecological assessment, risk evaluation, capacity building, communication and outreach, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the wetland ecosystem.
Capacity Building Initiatives
The Executive Committee also approved funding of ₹34.50 lakh for the “Capacity Building Initiatives for making water-sensitive cities in the Ganga Basin” project for the preparation of city plans and training on the reuse of treated wastewater for Agra and Prayagraj Districts in Uttar Pradesh. The project aims at preparation of city level reuse plan aligned to the National Framework for Safe Reuse of Treated Water (SRTW) developed by NMCG.
“These project approvals reaffirm NMCG’s commitment to integrated water management and environmental restoration,” said a senior official associated with NMCG. “As the Mission continues to evolve, such strategic decisions will play a pivotal role in achieving the vision of a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable river ecosystem for future generations,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Mahabir Prasad, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor of Ministry of Power, (additional charge) River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti; Nalin Srivastava, Deputy Director General of NMCG; Anoop Kumar Srivastava, Executive Director (Technical); Brijendra Swaroop, Executive Director (Projects) S.P. Vashistha, Executive Director (Administration); Bhaskar Dasgupta, Executive Director (Finance); Prabhash Kumar, Additional Project Director of Uttar Pradesh SMCG and S. Chandrasekhar, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forest -cum- State Nodal Officer, Environment and Climate Change, Bihar.
