NMCG Has Not Allocated Funds For New Wetland Projects In 2026, Awaiting State Proposals: RTI

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has not allocated any budget so far in 2026 for new wetland conservation projects under the Namami Gange Programme, with proposals from states awaited, according to an RTI reply.

The NMCG said it has undertaken initiatives for the identification, assessment, conservation and rejuvenation of wetlands in the Ganga basin in collaboration with Wetlands International South Asia (WISA), New Delhi, and the state forest departments concerned.

Statewise Wetland Allocation Status

Wetland inventory and prioritisation studies have been undertaken by WISA in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Delhi. The technical reports for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are available, while the wetland identification study for Delhi is underway, the reply said.

The NMCG sanctioned wetland conservation and management projects to the state forest departments of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand during 2023, 2024 and 2025. These projects are ongoing.

In Uttarakhand, the project for conservation and management of the Ramsar site Asan Wetland in Dehradun district was sanctioned in 2025 at a cost of Rs 2.47 crore, of which Rs 52 lakh has been released.

In Uttar Pradesh, a project for conserving and sustainably managing three priority wetlands -- Kalewala Jheel in Muzaffarnagar, Numaiya Dahi Jheel-Kheduva Taal in Prayagraj and Dahtal Reoti Wetland in Ballia -- was sanctioned in 2023 at a cost of Rs 5.37 crore. Of this, Rs 3.22 crore has been released.

In Bihar, the project for conserving and sustainably managing Nathmalpur Bhagad Wetland in Bhojpur district was sanctioned in 2025 at a cost of Rs 3.51 crore, with Rs 72.8 lakh released.

In Jharkhand, an integrated management plan for Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary in Sahibganj district under Namami Gange Mission-II was sanctioned in 2024 at a cost of Rs 25.89 crore. The NMCG has released Rs 7.70 crore for the project.

The mission said it regularly monitors the physical progress of the projects through review meetings and field visits. Further details can be obtained from the respective state forest departments implementing them.

Scientific Prioritisation Assessment Framework

The NMCG's technical report on Uttar Pradesh said 285 wetlands were inventoried within a 10-km buffer on either side of the Ganga River channel. The inventory was based on the 2020 land-use and land-cover map of the buffer region and was undertaken using a rapid assessment tool.

The wetlands were assessed for their geographical location, extent, type, catchment, hydrology, water sources, connectivity, inundation patterns, species and habitats, ecosystem services, threats and management arrangements.

The report said wetland health cards were prepared using nine indicators related to wetland extent, hydrology and catchments, biodiversity, ecosystem services and governance.

The wetlands were prioritised on the basis of scores for threats and a cumulative score of the ecosystem services index and hydro-geomorphic function score. The report classified them into three phases -- high, moderate and low priority -- for conservation and management.

The technical report on Bihar inventoried and prioritised 124 wetlands in the Ganga floodplain area. Of these, 19 were identified as high priority for conservation and management, according to a PIB release.

The Bihar report also assessed the wetlands for their ecological and hydrological characteristics, ecosystem services, threats, ownership patterns and rights and privileges associated with them.