FIRST CENSUS OF WATERBODIES

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Context

• Recently, the first census of waterbodies was released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Definition of Water Body

• The census defines a waterbody as -

“all-natural or man-made units bounded on all sides with some or no masonry work used for storing water for irrigation or other purposes (example industrial, pisciculture, domestic/drinking, recreation, religious, groundwater recharge etc)”

• Waterbodies are usually of various types known by different names like tank, reservoirs, ponds and bundhies etc.
• A structure where water from ice-melt, streams, springs, rain or drainage of water from residential or other areas is accumulated or water is stored by diversion from a stream, nala or river will also be treated as waterbody.

Census Enumeration

• 24,24,540 waterbodies have been enumerated in the country, out of which 97.1% (23,55,055) are in rural areas and only 2.9% (69,485) in urban areas.
• The census also collected data on the encroachment of waterbodies for the first time.

Findings of the Census

Total number of Water Bodies

• India has 24 lakh water bodies like ponds, tanks and lakes.

Waterbodies based on type

• As per the report:
  • 59.5 per cent (14,42,993) of waterbodies are ponds,
  • Tanks (15.7 per cent i.e. 3,81,805),
  • Reservoirs (12.1 per cent i.e. 2,92,280),
  • Water conservation schemes/percolation tanks/check dams (9.3% i.e. 2,26,217),
  • Lakes (0.9% i.e. 22,361) and
  • Others (2.5% i.e. 58,884).
• West Bengal tops the list of States with the most ponds and reservoirs: 47 lakh.
• West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas has been ranked as the top district having the highest (3.55 lakh) number of waterbodies across the country.

Encroached Water Bodies

• The census also collected data on the encroachment of waterbodies for the first time.
• 6% waterbodies out of all the enumerated waterbodies are reported to be encroached, out of which 95.4% are in rural areas and remaining 4.6% in urban areas.
• Out of all encroached waterbodies, 62.8% have less than 25% area under encroachment, whereas 11.8% waterbodies have more than 75% area under encroachment.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/bengal-tops-list-of-states-with-most-ponds-and-reservoirs-first-ever-waterbody-census-8567772/