Figure 2: Status of Water Bodies, by StateSource: Water Body Census Report[19]At the national level, about 84 percent of water bodies are 'in use', with urban spaces (21.08 percent) having a relatively higher proportion of ‘not in use’ water bodies than rural areas (16.13 percent). Figure 3: Uses of ‘In Use’ Urban Water Bodies, by StateSource: Water Body Census Report[20]Figure 3 presents the various functions of ‘in use’ water bodies across urban areas. Figure 4: Reasons for Urban Water bodies ‘Not in Use’, by StateSource: Water Body Census Report[21]Figure 4 illustrates the primary causes behind urban water bodies becoming non-functional. Instead, the water bodies could be viewed from the lens of urban water commons and shared heritage of decentralised urban water governance. However, since the rules exclude artificial water bodies and urban lakes created for water supply, a majority of urban water bodies are left outside their purview.

Source: The Hindu February 04, 2026 08:09 UTC