The five sites are part of a much larger network the mission has now mapped along the Ganga basin

Responsible Us Bureau   Jul 14, 2026  Add to Reading List
NMCG Maps 282 Ganga Floodplain Wetlands In UP

 In order to restore floodplain wetlands, which officials claim are essential to maintaining the Ganga ecosystem, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is going beyond the river channel itself.

The Namami Gange program is presently restoring five wetlands in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand: Kalewala Lake in Muzaffarnagar, Numaiya Dah (Kheduwa Tal) in Prayagraj, Revati Dah in Ballia, Nathmalpur Bhagad in Bihar's Bhojpur district, and Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district. Udhwa is a Ramsar site.

NMCG describes these wetlands as natural reservoirs that form part of the Ganga's floodplain. During the monsoon, they absorb excess floodwater; in the dry months, they release water back into the river and help recharge groundwater — functions the mission considers vital to river flows and local water security.

The five sites are part of a much larger network the mission has now mapped along the Ganga basin. Within a 10-km buffer of the river and its tributaries, Uttar Pradesh alone has 282 identified floodplain wetlands covering 5,798 hectares. Bihar has another 124, spread across 8,029 hectares.

The wetlands also serve as habitat for threatened species — the Gangetic dolphin, gharial, otters and several native fish — many of which have lost ground elsewhere due to pollution and changes in the river's ecosystem.

According to NMCG, a conservation plan is also being developed for the Asan Wetland in Uttarakhand, which would advance the restoration process upstream.

The project emphasises that maintaining the Ganga's interrelated floodplain ecosystems is essential to its restoration, as is working to enhance the river's water quality. The mission seeks to improve the long-term health of the river basin, increase climate resilience, and boost biodiversity by safeguarding wetlands.


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