A significant aquifer mapping project in Prayagraj has traced an ancient river in the Ganga-Yamuna Doab, stretching between Prayagraj and Kanpur. The project has been carried out in collaboration with the Groundwater Department and the Irrigation and Water Resources Department of the Uttar Pradesh government, under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). As per the findings from a paleo channel mapping, the river is 200 kilometres (km) long, about 4 km wide and about 20 metres deep. Advanced methods like satellite imagery and geospatial data were deployed to track the river’s ancient route and map the sub-surface reservoirs. As per the studies, the river has a potential to store around 4,000 million cubic metres (mcm).
Besides, the project also aims to revive the Ganga river in line with the vision of Aviral Ganga under NMCG. To this end, sustainable measures to improve groundwater recharge and regulated river flow are being undertaken. The project is deploying modern technologies like smart water management systems, remote sensing, and drone-driven monitoring. Further, more than 150 managed aquifer recharge (MAR) sites have been recognised where recharge structures will be built to boost groundwater recharge. Initially, in the first phase, approximately 25 MAR sites will be established with each MAR measuring 5 meters by 5 metres by 3 metres. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, in collaboration with the National Geophysical Research Institute, is installing automatic water-level indicators for scientific monitoring.