The first exercise of its kind in the nation, the water bodies census conducted in 2018-19 by the central government, provides a comprehensive database of the country’s water resources, including natural and man-made water bodies, and enumerates more than 2.4 million water bodies across all states and Union Territories except Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Lakshadweep.
This would contain information regarding all of the relative aspects, including their size, condition, status of encroachment, and storage capacity, among others.
The report reveals that the top five states in terms of the number of water bodies are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Assam.
Around 24,24,540 water bodies have been enumerated in the country. Out of which 97.1 percent lie in rural areas while only 2.9 percent are in urban areas. 83 percent of the waterbodies are being used for fisheries, irrigation, groundwater recharge, and drinking water.
Despite water bodies acting as a buffer against climate variability, they are increasingly under threat from pollution, encroachment, urbanization, and drying. Therefore, the census is vital at this juncture of climate risk.
Water Bodies Census
Previously, the center maintained a database of the water bodies that were getting assistance under the Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) Scheme of the water bodies.
Later in 2016, a Standing Committee of Parliament recommended a separate water bodies census. The center then commissioned the first water body census in 2018–19, along with the sixth minor irrigation census.
How are ‘water bodies’ defined in the report?
According to the report, water bodies are defined as ‘all-natural or man-made units bounded on all sides with some or no masonry work used for storing water for irrigation or other purposes (e.g., industrial, pisciculture, domestic/drinking, recreation, religious, groundwater recharge, etc.).’
Water bodies ‘are usually of various types known by different names like tanks, reservoirs, etc.,’ it adds.
The report primarily focused on smaller water bodies, as all water bodies do not fit the specified definition. Seven specific kinds of water bodies, like oceans, rivers, swimming pools, etc., were excluded from the count.
According to the Central Scheme of Repair, Renovation and Restoration of water bodies, the minimum water spread area in most states, except for Jammu and Kashmir and the North-eastern region, is required to be two hectares to get funder under RRR.
Most of the enumerated water bodies in the survey were less than 0.5 hectares, whereas only 3.1 percent of water bodies had a ‘water spread area’ greater than 5 hectares.
Consequently, many of the water bodies enumerated are ineligible for funding under the scheme, which was much needed for rejuvenating them.
Findings of the report:
In addition, the report flags that 16.3 percent of the 2.4 million surveyed water bodies are non-functional for a variety of reasons, ranging from drying up and siltation to destruction beyond repair.
In light of certain anomalies, if water bodies are not treated or repaired promptly, they will lose their functionality due to siltation and several other problems. Therefore, a systematic periodic review of water bodies is needed to acknowledge non-functional water bodies.
The report postulates significant disparities between regions and varying levels of encroachment. For instance, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of non-functional and encroached water bodies, whereas West Bengal does not have a single non-maintained water body.
Some experts, like Veena Srinivasan, shed light on the structure census questionnaire, which fails to incorporate the most common reasons like algae growth and sewage pollution while researching the reasons for a number of non-functional or disused water bodies, as reported by Mongabay.
Real encroachments on water bodies:
Contrary to the common perspectives associated with encroachments making it one the major concerns, the census found that only 1.6 percent of the enumerated water bodies – i.e., 38,496 out of 24,24,540, have been encroached upon.
Furthermore, the report reveals variation among the regions where encroachment activities were more. For example, states like West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and UT like Chandigarh, have zero encroachment records.
Conclusion
While the water body census has undoubtedly shed some light on the status of water resources, it is essential to recognize the limitations of the data gathered. The census primarily focused on quantifying the number and size of small water bodies.
Detailed information provides valuable baseline information, but it tends to overlook some other crucial aspects. These include the water quality of the assessed water bodies, pollution levels, and the health of the ecosystems.
These factors are vital for understanding water bodies overall health and sustainability. A more comprehensive approach, including water quality assessments and ecosystem evaluations, is necessary to gain a holistic understanding of the looming water crisis.