Prayagraj: A team of scientists from National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad, is partnering with a team from Denmark in the search for a third water stream between rivers Ganga and Yamuna from Kaushambi to Kanpur.
The survey is being conducted using high precision gadgets like the Transient Electromagnetic System.
A similar survey by the team in 2018 had detected a third paleochannel beneath the surface from Prayagraj to Manjhanpur between the Ganga and Yamuna.
The scientists from NGRI and Denmark are tracing the real identity of this water stream and new paths of water conservation. The survey is being carried out by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the Namami Gange project.
In the previous survey, a 14 kilometre long and five kilometre wide water stream was found between Prayagraj to Kaushambi. The water stream is extinct now, but the survey found evidence of its existence many years ago.
This time, the scientists are conducting an aerial survey from Kaushambi (Manjhanpur) to Kanpur.
CGWB scientist Shashi Kumar said the aerial survey is being carried out to a depth of 300 metre (around 1,000 feet) beneath the surface with the primary objective of tracing any paleochannel so that water can be conserved, and its resources can be enhanced.
The experts would study various components, including soil, pebbles to collect information about the amount of water in that particular area and its proportion.
The scientists would collect the specimens and then conduct carbon dating of soil, pebbles, sand and water. Investigations are expected to conclude by the end of this month and the findings would be forwarded to the Central Ground Water Board.
The equipment used by the team can extract information from 200-400 metre beneath the earth crust and similar work has already been done in six districts, including Patna, Tumkur, Dausa, Nagpur etc.
The main equipment — transient electromagnetic sensors (TEM) — are attached to a helicopter which would fly on the pre-decided longitudes between the two rivers.