In a historic initiative to chart the Ganga’s future through its past, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has launched a landmark project led by IIT Kanpur.
Researchers at the institute have combined rare images captured in 1965 by the American spy satellite series Corona with advanced satellite imagery from 2018–19 to record major changes in the river’s morphology, flow, and land use over the last five decades.
This study is being hailed as a milestone in developing a data-driven and concrete blueprint for the Ganga’s conservation and restoration. The project will form part of the Ganga Knowledge Centre, a repository of research, portals, and datasets related to the river—and will facilitate scientific, research-based decision-making for its rejuvenation.
The Corona images capture the Ganga in an almost untouched form, while the 2019 images reveal the changing reality, where barrages, embankments, and urban sprawl have restricted the river’s natural meandering.
This comparative study offers fresh hope: scientists now have precise maps that highlight areas where restoration could help the Ganga regain its old rhythm, and where improved land use could enhance its health.
This major NMCG project is not only creating a scientific record of changes in the river’s geomorphology but also highlighting, through comparative Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) analysis, how encroachment, rapid urbanization, and agricultural expansion have impacted the river’s natural balance. Based on these findings, an advanced Web-GIS library is being developed, which will directly inform future policies, river management strategies, and restoration plans.
Officials said on Monday that as a step forward, NMCG will host the Corona and LULC data on an interactive user interface integrated with Google Earth Engine, allowing both analysis and planning to be carried out on the same platform.
The project will also prepare special digital displays for nine key locations—Haridwar, Bijnor, Narora, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, and Farakka, which will play a vital role in decision-making from local to national levels.
To create a scientific health map of the Ganga, several decisive steps are being undertaken. First, the entire Ganga basin’s boundaries will be delineated and accurately mapped using Corona imagery.
Comparing images from 1965–75 with the present-day landscape will provide a clear visualization of land use and geomorphic changes.
All data will be organized into a Web-GIS module with an advanced query system, enabling researchers and planners to instantly access the information they need. A system for public dissemination of this data will also be developed to support research and collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
According to IIT Kanpur scientists, this achievement marks the beginning of a new era of data-driven planning in Ganga conservation. Technical challenges remain, but the research team is continually refining its methodology—with each step toward greater accuracy and faster processing bringing the picture of the Ganga’s future into sharper focus.
There could be no better guide for the Ganga’s rejuvenation than precise images of its past—and this project is showing exactly that path. By blending the solid foundation of science with the deep roots of tradition, this effort by the National Mission for Clean Ganga is emerging as a historic step toward returning the Ganga to its clean, free, and life-giving form for generations to come.