NMCG restoring five wetlands in Ganga basin, plans to expand conservation efforts

New Delhi: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is restoring five wetlands across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand under the Namami Gange programme and plans to expand conservation efforts to other high-priority wetlands identified through scientific assessment across the Ganga basin.

According to the mission data, restoration activities are underway at Kalewala Jheel in Muzaffarnagar, Numaiya Dah Jheel (Kheduva Taal) in Prayagraj and Reoti Dah Wetland in Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, Nathmalpur Bhagad Wetland in Bhojpur district of Bihar and the Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary, a Ramsar site, in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district.

Besides these, the NMCG has supported the preparation of a conservation and management proposal for the Asan Wetland, a Ramsar site in Uttarakhand, as part of extending wetland conservation initiatives to other ecologically significant wetlands within the Ganga basin.


Officials said the restoration work at these wetlands focuses on reviving natural hydrological connectivity, improving wetland habitat quality, conserving aquatic biodiversity, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, encouraging community participation and stakeholder engagement, and carrying out scientific monitoring and adaptive management.

"The knowledge generated from these sites will guide future wetland restoration across the Ganga basin," a senior official said.

"The NMCG plans to progressively expand wetland restoration by taking up additional high-priority wetlands identified through scientific assessment. Additional project proposals are being sought from the respective state governments to scale up conservation work in other priority wetlands across the basin," the official added.

"The long-term objective is to establish a basin-wide network of healthy floodplain wetlands that enhance river health, conserve biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience and improve the livelihoods of wetland-dependent communities," he further said.

The NMCG said that while wetland conservation across the country falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, under the Namami Gange programme it focuses on the conservation and restoration of floodplain wetlands located within a 10-km buffer of the Ganga and its major tributaries.

The mission said these wetlands play a vital role in maintaining river health by regulating river flows, recharging groundwater, improving water quality by trapping sediments and pollutants, moderating floods, supporting aquatic biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem services.

As part of this effort, the NMCG has supported scientific inventorisation, GIS mapping and ecological assessment of floodplain wetlands in collaboration with the respective state forest departments.

Based on ecological significance, hydrological connectivity, biodiversity values, restoration potential and ecosystem services, 282 floodplain wetlands covering 5,798.49 hectares in Uttar Pradesh and 124 wetlands spread over 8,029.35 hectares in Bihar have been inventoried and prioritised.

Integrated Wetland Management Plans have also been prepared to guide long-term conservation and restoration interventions.

The mission said the scientific assessments have laid the foundation for phased restoration across the Ganga basin.

Floodplain wetlands are considered an integral part of the river system as they regulate river flows by storing floodwaters during the monsoon and releasing water during lean seasons, recharge groundwater, improve water quality by trapping sediments and pollutants, sequester carbon, and provide critical habitats for aquatic biodiversity.

According to the NMCG, these wetlands also support threatened and endangered species such as the Gangetic dolphin, gharials, freshwater turtles, otters, indigenous fish and migratory birds, while sustaining the livelihoods of local communities through fisheries, agriculture, livestock grazing and ecotourism.