Source: The post is based on the article “Explained | What did India’s first national water-body census find?” published in The Hindu on 8th May 2023
What is the News?
The Ministry of Jal Shakti has released the report of India’s first water bodies census, which provides a comprehensive database of ponds, tanks, lakes and reservoirs in the country.
What are the key findings of the first water body census?
Most water bodies in the country are very small: The vast majority of India’s water bodies are less than one hectare (ha) large. This means locating and keeping track of them is likely to remain a challenge.
The water bodies show regional patterns that correlate with rainfall: In general, in drier states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, water bodies tend to be larger and publicly held.
– In the wetter parts of the country, like Kerala, West Bengal, and states in the northeast, more than three-quarters of the water bodies are privately owned.
– In drier states, the water bodies are primarily used for irrigation and groundwater recharge.
– In wetter states, domestic use and pisciculture dominate. Mid-sized water bodies are largely panchayat-owned.
Most water bodies have never been repaired or rejuvenated: Several water bodies were classified as “not in use”, meaning despite the recent interest in rejuvenating water bodies, most of them have never been repaired or revived.
| Read more: India’s first water body census: How was it done, what does the report say |
What are the key drawbacks of the first water body census?
Gaps in conducting census: Water bodies have an important role in supporting biodiversity. They harbour fish that birds feed on and provide roosting and breeding spaces for resident and migratory birds.
– These ecological functions are related to the size and location of the water bodies. But the water body census does not address questions about this.
– The report itself noted in its preamble that water bodies “support healthy ecosystems”, yet the focus was exclusively on human use, which means only pisciculture or fish farming, which is seeded and does not reflect natural biodiversity is featured.
Inconsistencies: The census groups water bodies into five types: ponds, tanks, lakes, reservoirs, and water conservation schemes.
– Its glossary defines a pond as a smaller water body than a tank, while “water conservation structures” might include check dams and percolation tanks.
– However, these categories are not mutually exclusive: many tanks that were traditionally used directly for irrigation primarily serve as recharge structures today.
No standardized data across states: Some states like Gujarat don’t show any water bodies not being in use, whereas Karnataka reports almost 80% of its water bodies as being in a state of disuse. This suggests differences in interpretation by the enumerators.
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