The Centre's Jal Shakti ministry has released its first-ever nationwide water body census report, which highlights that Maharashtra is leading in water conservation schemes, while West Bengal has the highest number of ponds and reservoirs.
According to the census report, Andhra Pradesh has the greatest number of water tanks, while Tamil Nadu has the largest number of lakes.
The Jal Shakti ministry's statement indicated that over 24 lakh water bodies across states and union territories were surveyed in the 2018-19 census. The aim of the census was to build a national database for water bodies, collecting data on various aspects such as size, condition, encroachments, usage, storage capacity, and status of filling up of storage.
As per the census report, Maharashtra has a total of 97,062 water bodies, out of which 96,343 (99.3%) are located in rural areas, while only 719 (0.7%) are in urban areas. The districts of Aurangabad, Jalna, and Nashik are among the top five districts in Maharashtra that use these water bodies for various purposes.
According to officials, out of the total 97,062 water bodies in Maharashtra, 98.9% (96,033) are currently in use, with the majority being utilized for groundwater recharge, followed by domestic/drinking and irrigation purposes. The remaining 1.1% (1,029) are not being used due to reasons such as drying up, siltation, destruction beyond repair, and other causes.
Maharashtra has a total of 96,488 man-made water bodies and 574 natural water bodies. Most man-made water bodies in the state were constructed with a cost between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.