The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a three-year Managed Aquifer Recharge project worth Rs 1.65 crore in the Ganges-Yamuna Doab region to replenish depleted groundwater reserves. The project follows the scientific discovery of a roughly 200-km-long ancient river channel, known as a paleochannel, buried beneath the doab between Kanpur and Prayagraj.
Researchers from the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad identified the underground river system using advanced technologies, including helicopter-borne geophysical surveys and borehole logging. The surveys mapped deep aquifers and ancient river courses beneath the Ganges-Yamuna Doab.
According to Dr Rajesh Kumar Prajapati, Special Secretary for the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department and Director of the Ground Water Department, the tests revealed subsurface tracks that can actively channel groundwater.
The ancient channel lies 10 to 15 metres below the surface and spans approximately 200 kilometres from Prayagraj to Kanpur. Scientists estimate it is about 4 kilometres wide and 15 to 25 metres thick, with a water storage potential of nearly 3,500 to 4,000 million cubic meters.
Senior scientist Subhash Chandra, who is involved in the project, said the physical presence of the underground river has now been fully established through dedicated drilling. He said the channel’s depth and base level are similar to those of the Ganga and Yamuna, suggesting it may have been an independent river system rather than an abandoned course of either river.
“If a river had simply changed course, its geological level would be different. But in this case, the base levels of all three appear to be almost the same,” Chandra said in a media interview.
The discovery began in 2012, when heliborne transient electromagnetic technology was used for groundwater exploration for the first time in India. Initial surveys between Prayagraj and Kaushambi revealed indications of an underground channel approximately 45 km long. Based on subsequent detailed surveys and drilling, the study was published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, in December 2021.
The National Mission for Clean Ganga subsequently expanded the project. A tripartite agreement between the NMCG, the Central Ground Water Board and the CSIR-NGRI led to a detailed survey from Kaushambi to Kanpur. More than 5,000 linear kilometres of heliborne data were collected, and a technical report was submitted in 2022.
The project aims to catch surface runoff during rains and direct it into aquifers through scientifically identified recharge points. Funded by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and implemented by the Uttar Pradesh Ground Water Department, the project will run for three years.
Over 150 potential Managed Aquifer Recharge sites have been identified along the paleochannel. In the first phase, 20 to 25 MAR sites will be developed. Recharge structures measuring 5m x 5m x 3m are being built to improve groundwater levels.
Pilot recharge structures are already under construction in Kaushambi, Fatehpur and Kanpur districts. Six pilot sites have been chosen for the initial phase, where recharge structures will be built and monitored to evaluate water absorption and water table recovery.
Scientists will monitor the six pilot sites to determine which recharge methods work best for different soil and aquifer conditions. Once proven successful, the framework will be expanded to other suitable locations across the Ganges-Yamuna Doab.
The CSIR-NGRI is installing automatic water-level indicators for real-time scientific monitoring. Prabhash Kumar, Additional Project Director for Namami Gange, noted that technical support from NGRI will ensure rigorous scientific monitoring. Alongside structural work, the state will run public awareness campaigns using Information, Education and Communication activities to encourage local water conservation.
The initiative is part of broader efforts to translate scientific research into on-ground measures for groundwater conservation and river restoration. The project will map the relationships between rainfall, river flow, groundwater and the ancient channels to guide future conservation efforts.
