The Union Water Ministry has excavated an old, dried-up river in Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) that linked the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) aims to develop it as a potential groundwater recharge source.
This “ancient buried river” is around 4 km wide, 45 km long and consisted of a 15-metre-thick layer buried under soil.
Evidence from palaeochannels suggest that the mythological Saraswati river might have existed.
A palaeochannel is a remnant of an inactive river or stream channel that has been filled or buried by younger sediment.
The discovery was made last December by a team of scientists from the CSIR-NGRI (National Geophysical Research Institute) and the Central Groundwater Board.