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NMCG Workshop Highlights

Strategies to Restore and

Strengthen Surface-Groundwater

Connectivity in the Ganga Basin

The National Mission for Clean approaches to river rejuvena- Secretary, Department of
Ganga (NMCG) convened a tion. Reinforcing this perspec- Water Resources, River Devel-
high-level workshop on
tive, the River Ganga (Rejuve- opment and Ganga Rejuvena-
“Towards Hydraulic Harmony
nation, Protection and Man- tion, Ministry of Jal Shakti;
in the Ganga Basin: Restoring
agement) Authorities Order, Shri Rajeev Kumar Mital,
& Maintaining the Integral
2016 emphasises the protec- Director General, NMCG; Dr.
Relationship of Surface Flow
and Sub-Surface tion and restoration of the K. Raja Rajan, Scientist-E,
(Groundwater) Systems” in relationship between surface Central Ground Water Board;
New Delhi, bringing together water and groundwater under and Shri D. P. Mathuria, Chief
leading experts, policymakers,
Section 4(vi). The workshop Engineer (P&D), Central Water
and practitioners to deliberate
served as a platform to trans- Commission, along with senior
on strengthening the scientic
late this guiding principle into ofcials, scientists, and
and policy framework for
actionable strategies, integrat- experts from premier institu-
integrated water
management. ing scientic understanding tions engaged in water
with policy and implementa- resources management.
The workshop underscored
the intrinsic connectivity tion frameworks. Technical sessions featured
between rivers and contributions from institu-
The inaugural session fea-
groundwater systems, tions including the Central
tured a welcome address by
highlighting that rivers, Water Commission (CWC),
Shri Anup Kumar Srivastava,
oodplains, aquifers,
Executive Director (Technical), Central Ground Water Board
wetlands, and the vadose
(CGWB), IIT Roorkee, IIT
zoneunction as a single, NMCG. The event was graced
Kharagpur, National Institute
interconnected hydrological by Shri V. L. Kantha Rao,
system. This dynamic
relationship plays a critical
role in sustaining river ows
and ensuring water security.
Groundwater contributes
signicantly to river baseows
during lean seasons, while

rivers and oodplains
recharge aquifers during
periods of high ow,
reinforcing the need for
integrated

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