More than 4,000 Reservoirs Dried up in Jharkhand | 25 Apr 2023

Why in News?

According to information received from the media on April 24, 2023, more than 4,000 reservoirs in Jharkhand have dried up while 560 reservoirs have been encroached upon.

Key points

• According to the information, for the first time in the country, there has been a census of reservoirs. In this, information about the status of reservoirs of all states is given. Jharkhand ranks second in the country in terms of reserves. Jharkhand has been ranked fifth in the effort made for water conservation.
• There are a total of 107598 reservoirs in Jharkhand. Of these, 106176 are in villages and 1422 in urban areas. Out of these, 4075 reservoirs have dried up. At the same time, construction work is being done on 1689 reservoirs and they are not being used.
• It has been reported in the report that 560 reservoirs of the state have been encroached upon. It has 472 ponds, 37 percolation tanks and check dams built for water conservation, 30 tanks, 12 reservoirs, 5 lakes and one other reservoir.
• Of these, 22 reservoirs have less than 25 percent occupancy, seven are occupied between 25 and 75 percent. At the same time, more than 75 percent occupying one reservoir. Jharkhand ranks fifth in the entire country in terms of the number of ponds.
• It has been reported in the report that 1731 reservoirs of the state have been filled with garbage. As many as 894 reservoirs have been damaged which cannot be restored. The water in 147 reservoirs is saline. Due to industrial waste, 114 reservoirs are not being used. 4416 reservoirs are no longer usable due to other reasons.
• Out of the total reservoirs of Jharkhand, 87878 have been constructed at government or non-government level. Only 19% of reservoirs are naturally grown.
• There are a total of 87080 ponds and 4500 tanks. There are 135 lakes, 3763 reservoirs and 12008 percolation tanks and check dams built for water conservation. Many ponds have been encroached upon.
• Encroachment is taking place in rivers and ponds in many places in the state. Due to encroachment, many ponds have ceased to exist in the capital Ranchi. The banks of the Subarnarekha River, which is called the lifeline of the Kalhan region, are also continuously encroached upon in Jamshedpur. Due to this, this huge river is turning into a drain in Jamshedpur.
• 72% of Jharkhand's reservoirs are used for irrigation. According to the report, only 1077 reservoirs are used for industrial work, 12721 reservoirs are being used for fisheries, four thousand reservoirs are used for domestic work, 395 reservoirs are being used for recreation. As many as 5036 reservoirs are being used for ground water recharge.
• More than half of the state's reservoirs (about 55.5 per cent) have water throughout the year, the report said. In addition, 13.1 percent of the reservoirs are filled with water every year. More than 28 percent of the reservoirs receive water occasionally. There are three percent reservoirs where there is very little water.