In a significant push towards holistic river and environmental rejuvenation, the 62nd Executive Committee (EC) Meeting of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), chaired by Shri 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 Committee approved projects that align with the mission’s objectives of ecosystem restoration across the Ganga basin. It may be noted that Namami Gange program has been recognised as one of the Top TEN, World Restoration Flagship initiatives by UN Decade (UNEP&FAO)
In another important development, the EC gave the green light to the "Conserving and Sustainably Managing NathmalpurBhagad (Wetland) in Bhojpur District, Bihar" project, with an estimated cost of ?3.51 crore. The project is the fifth wetland being undertaken under NGP. It aims to establish an effective management arrangement for NathmalpurBhagad. So far, under Namami Gange conservation of 4 wetlands have been already sanctioned at:
KalewadaJheel, Muzaffarnagar, UP
Namiya Dah Jheel,Prayagraj, UP
Reoti Dah Wetland, Ballia, UP
Udhwa Lake (Ramsar Site) Sahibganj, Jharkhand
It focuses 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 & Sone confluence) and site levels (NathmalpurBhagad), 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.
The EC 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. 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.
The meeting was attended by Sh. Mahabir Prasad, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor of Ministry of Power, (additional charge) River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti; Sh. Nalin Srivastava, Deputy Director General of NMCG; Sh. Anoop Kumar Srivastava, Executive Director (Technical); Sh. Brijendra Swaroop, Executive Director (Projects) Sh. S.P. Vashistha, Executive Director (Administration); Sh. Bhaskar Dasgupta, Executive Director (Finance); Sh. Prabhash Kumar, Additional Project Director of Uttar Pradesh SMCG and Sh. S. Chandrasekhar, I.F.S., Chief Conservator of Forest -cum- State Nodal Officer, Environment & Climate Change, Bihar.