CSIR-NGRI Discovers Massive Buried Paleo-River Near Prayagraj, Revives Saraswati Debate

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]At Prayagraj in Sangam, we see two rivers, Yamuna and Ganga.

[00:00:08]Is there a third river?

[00:00:13]Evidence of some of that is emerging.

[00:00:16]I am with Dr. Subhash Chandra. He's a scientist at the National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad and somebody who studies paleo river channels. Namaskar, sir.

[00:00:30]Namaskar. Dr. Chandra, what have you found and what is this paleo river?

[00:00:37]Yes, yes, sir. In January, I had in fact carried out to find out if any channel paleo channel exists which has been talked a lot in the mythology and the history. So, what was the scientific proof can we get it? So, that was a one of the curiosity asked by the ministry Jal Shakti and it was my water resources.

[00:01:02]And in the year 2018, we started carrying out a heli-borne geophysical survey led by ground-based observation as well as a drilling. And we discovered a big paleo river having equal dimension having the same base same kind of base I mean the the depth level as the Ganga-Yamuna. So, third buried paleo river under 10 to 15 m soil cover was found which was roughly 25 m. Though there are small small weak channel because there are a lot of build-up area. So, we could not do over the cities, but then equal dimension equal kind of river I mean the paleo river was found at 45 km.

[00:01:49]And then in the phase two under the funding of NMCG National Mission for the Clean Ganga, we have carried out an extent to Kanpur, which makes total to 200 km.

[00:02:01]And the interestingly, this river has been the paleo river has been meandering the same way as the Ganga and Yamuna.

[00:02:10]So, that shows that this is completely third river, not the same or because if if they are the the same, they could have a different depth level, but then since they have the same depth level, that shows that there are a a third buried paleo river.

[00:02:25]And and then >> So, so these Ganga and Yamuna are both rivers which can be seen on the surface.

[00:02:32]Yes. This paleo river which you're talking about is at what depth below the surface? It is 10 to 15 m below the ground surface. So, it is a fully covered by alluvial and and nothing no signature can be found at the surface level.

[00:02:46]>> But is there water in it? Yes, there are the water partly partly it is dry.

[00:02:51]And and then we are making another effort of this finding to make a recharge structure where we are going to to construct the rich I mean MAR sites recharge structure where surface water the rain water will be diverted to the underground. So, this will help water recharge this paleo river? So, this will help in increasing the water level and by increasing that increases the health of the river. So, this is a very important.

[00:03:21]And because it has been reported and found in number of research uh research that the water level is declining very rapidly over the Ganga plain.

[00:03:30]And and that's how this finding become very relevant to address the hydrological issues to make a continuous flow in the Ganga Yamuna including diluting I mean I mean this will also maintain not only the quantity of the water in the river, but also the quality because ground water which is recharged is relatively fresh will contribute during the summer season.

[00:03:54]Now, this particular river, can it extend further?

[00:03:58]Since our survey has found till the western margin, till the uh whatever we have surveyed, so it is all likely chances to extend up to the west.

[00:04:10]And and since it is 200 km long, but it that that means is so that is a really very significant signature of the river. And it is all likely chances to increase and and need to be extended. And it joins at Sangam.

[00:04:25]It joins at the I mean 25 km before the Sangam what we have got it. There are the minor uh uh >> But it varies, see the Sangam spot has varied over time. Yeah, there there has been weak channel and the fact was we could not survey because it is already city built up. And then what the electromagnetic sensor in heliborne what we use it, it it doesn't work over over the built up area because the power line and other fences etc. So, we we don't rule out those that it has been emerging over here because there had been some minor traces has been there, but then what we got it, this has been I mean it is a very prominent, roughly 4 to 5 km wide.

[00:05:08]It is not a weak channel. But suppose you put on radio isotope here and map it, will you be able to find the radio isotope around below? Did you do that? So, we have done actually the coring for to get the age.

[00:05:21]We have not certainly done, but then it's very important uh suggestion you have made it.

[00:05:29]And we actually in today have the tracer lab to find out and establish the path.

[00:05:34]So, you are you are absolutely right that we can establish these pathways to confirm the pathway. We can enter the tracer, but then we need to also decide that we don't we we know that there are the water, but with it flowing water etc. For that it will be important.

[00:05:49]Yeah. So what what you have found is that there is Ganga and there's Yamuna and in between them there is a paleo channel.

[00:05:56]>> There is a paleo channel. Yes.

[00:05:57]>> Right.

[00:05:58]Confirmed. Sealed. This has been even by drilling we have done a dedicated drilling over the identified paleo channel and it has been fully confirmed.

[00:06:08]So the physical existence has been confirmed. There is no doubt.

[00:06:11]Thanks a lot Dr. Subhash Chandra.

[00:06:13]>> Thank you.

[00:06:15]So you have the Ganga, the Yamuna and this red line which is the paleo channel.

[00:06:22]And Dr. Subhash Chandra is a scientist.

[00:06:25]He's not somebody who indulges in extrapolations.

[00:06:29]So he will not call it Saraswati.

[00:06:31][snorts] But I can say maybe this is the first indications of having river Saraswati in between Ganga and Yamuna.

[00:06:43]The Lupt river or the lost river.

[00:06:45]And finally that it emerges at Sangam or near Sangam is also being proven.

[00:06:54]So some evidence that there were or are three rivers at the Sangam where Ganga and Yamuna meet and a mythological river.

[00:07:06]Now with a paleo channel being established some evidence that probably this is the lost river of Saraswati.

[00:07:16]So Sangam indeed has two physical rivers and one river below the surface.

[00:07:24]And the water of three join there.

[00:07:29]At the National Geophysical Research Institute in Hyderabad Pallava Bagla for NDTV.