Key Points

Conservation of critical wetlands and promoting the reuse of treated wastewater through city-specific reuse plans 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 the Namami Gange Programme (NGP) has been recognised as one of the Top 10 World Restoration Flagship initiatives by the UN Decade (UNEP and FAO).

In another important development, the Committee gave the green light to the 'Conserving and Sustainably Managing Nathmalpur Bhagad (Wetland) in Bhojpur District, Bihar' project, with an estimated cost of Rs 3.51 crore. The project is the fifth wetland being undertaken under NGP. It aims to establish an effective management arrangement for Nathmalpur Bhagad.

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 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.

Earlier, conservation of four wetlands had been sanctioned at Kalewada Jheel, Muzaffarnagar, UP; Namiya Dah Jheel, Prayagraj, UP; Reoti Dah Wetland, Ballia, UP and Udhwa Lake (Ramsar Site) Sahibganj, Jharkhand, under Namami Gange.

The Committee also approved funding of Rs 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 the preparation of city 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 Ministry of Jal Shakti said in a statement.

The meeting was attended by Mahabir Prasad, Joint Secretary and Financial Advisor of the 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, I.F.S., Chief Conservator of Forest -cum- State Nodal Officer, Environment and Climate Change, Bihar.

- IANS