Centre pushes tech-led river rejuvenation Under Namami Gange Programme
At a high-level review meeting held under the Namami Gange programme, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Patil, lauded the scientific depth, collaborative approach, and technological innovation demonstrated by research teams from leading Indian institutes.
'The time has come to translate research into rapid, on-ground action,' Patil said, reaffirming the government's commitment to ensuring an 'Aviral aur Nirmal Ganga' (uninterrupted and clean Ganga).
The Minister directed stakeholders to scale up successful interventions and accelerate implementation across critical catchments to build a cleaner, healthier, and water-secure future for the nation.
The meeting featured detailed presentations by teams from IIT (BHU) and IIT Delhi, working under two flagship innovation initiatives—Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR) in collaboration with Denmark, and IND-RIVERS in collaboration with the Netherlands.
IIT Delhi introduced a Decision Support System (DSS) for urban river rejuvenation, with a focus on the Varuna river. The system, known as the Small Rivers Management Tool (SRMT), integrates modules for population forecasting, water demand and supply estimation, sewage load analysis, and priority zone mapping for sewage treatment plants (STPs). Officials noted that the DSS is scalable and can be applied to other rivers and catchments across India.
Another major highlight was the focus on Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR)—a cutting-edge technique for groundwater replenishment and drought mitigation. Plans were shared to deploy real-time hydrogeological modelling to enhance base flow in rivers through artificial recharge methods.
The meeting also reviewed progress on two ambitious research projects namely hydrogeological Modelling in the Varuna Basin, and fingerprint analysis of emerging pollutants in the Ganga Basin, using technologies like FloaTEM and LC-HRMS to identify and monitor complex pollutants with high precision.
IIT Delhi, under the IND-RIVERS initiative, presented a comprehensive roadmap for establishing a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in collaboration with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Government of the Netherlands. The proposed Centre will lead applied research, policy innovation, and serve as a hub for startup incubation and capacity building in the water sector.
Officials stressed that such Centres would play a pivotal role in mainstreaming cutting-edge solutions and ensuring their adoption by state governments and local bodies.
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