New Delhi:
For the first time in India, the government has conducted the first-ever census of water bodies.
The census provided a comprehensive inventory of India’s water resources, including natural and man-made water bodies such as ponds, tanks, lakes and more, and to collect data on the degradation of water bodies.
The census revealed differences between rural and urban areas and different levels of encroachment, revealing crucial insights into the country’s water resources.
About 2,424,540 bodies of water have been counted in the country by Jal Shakti’s ministry, of which 97.1 percent are in rural areas and only 2.9 percent in urban areas.
The top five states in terms of number of water bodies are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Assam – which make up about 63 percent of the country’s total water bodies.
The top five states in terms of the number of water bodies in urban areas are West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura while in rural areas the top five states are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Assam .
59.5 percent of water bodies are ponds, followed by tanks (15.7 percent), reservoirs (12.1 percent), water conservation programs/leach tanks/control dams (9.3 percent), lakes (0.9 percent), and others ( 2.5 percent). per cent).
It was found that 55.2 percent of water bodies are owned by private entities, while 44.8 percent of water bodies are in the domain of public ownership.
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