Varanasi DM Orders Geo-Tagging of Saplings, Pushes Wetland Notification

Varanasi, July 19, 2026: District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar has directed every sapling planted in Varanasi during the 2026–27 plantation campaign to be geo-tagged, making digital location records mandatory for monitoring survival and maintenance.

The order was issued at a joint review meeting on July 14 involving the district plantation committee, district Ganga committee, district wetland committee and district environment committee. Officials from the departments concerned attended the meeting.

The district administration also asked departments to complete the notification process for three wetlands in Varanasi. The wetland committee reviewed the pending proposals, while the Ganga committee examined compliance with National Green Tribunal directions on the restoration of the Ganga and its tributaries.

Geo-tagging is intended to give officials a verifiable record of where saplings have been planted and support follow-up work after the plantation drive. The direction places responsibility on departments not only to meet plantation targets but also to track the condition of the saplings afterward.

The environment committee separately reviewed solid waste, plastic waste, construction and demolition waste, biomedical waste and e-waste management. Departments were told to strengthen segregation of waste at source, keep information on the Uttar Pradesh Environment Compliance Portal updated and meet prescribed targets within the stipulated period.

The administration did not announce the names of the three wetlands or a separate deadline for their notification in the information made public after the meeting.