Identifying Water Bodies

In 2021, New Delhi’s Wetland Authority implemented the suggestions made by the National Green Tribunal in 2019 to assign unique identification numbers to the 1,040 water bodies. Delhi has over 1,000 lakes and ponds and 995 have been verified on the map.

A study by the Center for Science and Environment suggests that over the past few decades, increasing population and urbanization have led to a dramatic reduction of natural water bodies. Bengaluru had 262 lakes in the 1960s, but now only 10 remain. Similarly, Ahmedabad had 137 lakes in 2001 and, by 2012, 65 of those were destroyed or encroached for building houses. In Hyderabad, 3,245 hectares of lakes are at the constant risk of disappearing. Further, water shortages have adversely affected the livelihood opportunities of various communities and encroaching lakes have deteriorated the quality of water.