New Delhi: The Centre has redefined the active floodplain of the Ganga and its tributaries and introduced new regulatory and warning zones based on flood frequency, following an amendment to the rules governing the river.
The Jal Shakti Ministry issued the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities (Second Amendment) Order, 2026, on August 7.
The amendment removes the earlier wording referring to a “construction free zone”. Instead, it states that the banks of the Ganga, its tributaries and their floodplains should be maintained to reduce pollution sources and pressures and preserve their natural groundwater recharge functions.
The amendment defines the “active floodplain” as areas that are inundated during floods with a one-in-five-year return period. The broader floodplain now includes a regulatory zone covering areas affected by floods occurring between once in five and once in 25 years and a warning zone covering areas inundated between once in 25 and once in 100 years.
However, the notification does not specify new construction permissions or prohibitions for the newly defined regulatory and warning zones.
Under the 2016 order, construction of permanent or temporary structures in the Ganga, its banks, tributaries and active floodplain was prohibited, subject to specified exceptions and permissions.
The amendment also emphasises protecting floodplains for pollution reduction and groundwater recharge.