Water&

Ranked 13th amongst the most water-stressed nations in 2019, with just 4% of the world’s water reserves and 18% of the global population, India must prioritize water conservation, evaluation, and management.

This diagram illustrates the distribution of Water Bodies Across Rural and Urban Areas of India. (Source: National Water Body Census, 2023. Visualized by Krishna Kumar/WRI India)

A systematic, consistent, national-level dataset on water bodies to improve water management and increase resilience has long been awaited. The National Water Body Census 2023 is a crucial milestone in creating such a database. Undertaken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the water census surveyed and disaggregated 2.4 million water bodies.

In this context, ‘urban water bodies’ refer to lakes, ponds, and canals within city limits, often influenced by urban development, while ‘rural water bodies’ encompass those in the countryside, reflecting the simplicity and natural beauty of rural landscapes. The insights from this census are pivotal for sustainable water resource management in India.🌊

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