Bengal has the highest number of water bodies, says Union govt report
India’s first water census, a count of the enclosed water bodies in the country, released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in the form of a two-volume report titled ‘Water Bodies: First Census Report’, has revealed that Bengal has the highest number of such bodies, and also ponds and reservoirs.
The first census of water bodies in the country, conducted by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has put Bengal on top. The state has been found to have the highest number of water bodies (including ponds, tanks, lakes, water reservoirs and water conservation schemes/ percolation tanks/ check dams), numbering 7,47,480, which is 30.8 per cent of the total.
The next four positions are held by Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Assam, though their numbers are far below Bengal’s.
Bengal also has the highest number of ponds, numbering 4,57,274 and reservoirs, numbering 2,80,585.
The data, which was collected in the financial year 2018-19, was released on April 25in New Delhi.
The report, titled ‘Water Bodies: First Census Report’ and released in two volumes, mentions Maharashtra as the leading state for water conservation schemes, and Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as having the highest number of tanks and lakes, respectively.
Overall, ponds comprise most numerous type of water bodies, comprising 59.5 per cent of the total.
Data for Bengal
Highest number of all types of water bodies in India: 7,47,480
Highest number of ponds in India: 4,57,274
Highest number of reservoirs in India: 2,80,585
Total water bodies: 7,47,480
86.98% have a capacity between 1,000 to 10,000 cubic metres
Ponds: 4,57,274
Reservoirs: 2,80,585
Tanks: 7,585
Lakes: 1,349
Water Conservation Schemes/ Percolation tanks/ Check dams: 610
Others: 77
96.61% water bodies are privately owned
