7th-8th May Important Events By Kandela IAS
Findings of India’s Inaugural National Water-Body Census
The Ministry of Jal Shakti has released India’s first water bodies census report, which provides comprehensive data on ponds, tanks, lakes, and reservoirs in the country.
⦁ The census was conducted in 2018-19 and documented over 2.4 million water bodies across all states and Union Territories.
⦁ Water bodies are defined as units used for storing water for various purposes, including irrigation, industrial use, domestic use, recreation, and religious activities.
⦁ According to the report, 97.1% of water bodies (approximately 23.5 lakh) are located in rural areas, while only 2.9% (around 69,500) are in urban areas.
⦁ The majority of water bodies identified are ponds (59.5%), followed by tanks (15.7%), reservoirs (12.1%), water conservation schemes/percolation tanks/check dams (9.3%), lakes (0.9%), and others (2.5%).
⦁ Maharashtra leads in water conservation schemes, while West Bengal has the highest number of ponds and reservoirs. Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of tanks, and Tamil Nadu leads in the number of lakes.
⦁ The census aims to develop a national database on water bodies, collecting information on their size, condition, encroachments, storage capacity, and usage.
⦁ In Maharashtra, 97,062 water bodies were enumerated, with the majority (99.3%) located in rural areas. The state also has a higher percentage of public-owned water bodies (99.7%).
⦁ Out of all water bodies in Maharashtra, 98.9% are in use, primarily for groundwater recharge, domestic/drinking purposes, and irrigation.
⦁ Aurangabad, Jalna, and Nashik are among the top five districts in Maharashtra with varied uses of water bodies.
⦁ Maharashtra has 574 natural and 96,488 man-made water bodies, with the majority located in rural areas.
⦁ Based on the filling capacity in the last five years, the report categorizes water bodies as filled up every year (63.2%), usually filled up (35.8%), rarely filled up (0.7%), and never filled up (0.3%).
⦁ Around 60.7% of water bodies in Maharashtra are covered in District Irrigation Plan/State Irrigation Plan, benefiting cities/towns.
⦁ The report provides information on storage capacity, encroachments, and the distribution of water bodies by ownership and use.
⦁ The detailed reports can be downloaded from the provided links for further reference.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
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