WATERBODY CENSUS - REPORT AND INDICES
News: In
first-ever waterbody census, Bengal tops list of states with most ponds and
reservoirs
What's in the news?
● India
has 24.24 lakh water bodies like ponds, tanks and lakes, with West Bengal accounting for the most (7.47
lakh) and Sikkim the least (134), according to the report of the first
census of water bodies released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti recently.
Water body census:
Released by: Union Ministry of Jal Shakti
Key takeaways:
● The
report states, “24,24,540 water bodies 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.”
Definition of Water Bodies:
● 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, ground water recharge
etc)”.
● Water
bodies are usually of various types known by different names like tank,
reservoirs, ponds 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,”
state the report.
● The water bodies census
was conducted along with the 6th Minor Irrigation Census for 2017-18.
Findings of the report:
Waterbody Composition:
● Ponds
- 59.5 percent (14,42,993)
● Tanks
- 15.7 percent (3,81,805)
● Reservoirs
- 12.1 percent (2,92,280)
● Water
conservation schemes/percolation tanks/check dams - 9.3% (2,26,217)
● Lakes
- 0.9% (22,361)
● Others
- 2.5% (58,884)
Rankings of the State:
● West Bengal
has the highest number of ponds and reservoirs.
● Andhra Pradesh
has the highest number of tanks.
● Tamil Nadu
has the highest number of lakes.
● Maharashtra
is the leading state with water conservation schemes.