Survey
Map the pond's full original area, its inlets and its catchment, and record encroachments and sewage outfalls.
The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 763 ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies in Hapur district. 176 of them (23%) were not in use and 341 had been encroached upon. Hapur has the 70th most ponds of the 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh the census counted.
176 of 763 water bodies (23%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.
Loading the map of water bodies in Hapur…
Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).
Hapur pumps out 94% of the groundwater that can safely be taken out each year (2025, Central Ground Water Board), which the board rates critical. Every pond that holds rain long enough for it to soak in puts some of that water back, so the 176 ponds and tanks not in use are a recharge opportunity going to waste.
Most ponds that are not in use can be revived. The work is the same in a village or a city sector:
Map the pond's full original area, its inlets and its catchment, and record encroachments and sewage outfalls.
Dig out the silt that has sealed the bed, so water soaks into the ground again instead of evaporating.
Clear and line the channels that bring rain in, with a silt trap before the pond; divert sewage away from it.
Add recharge shafts or wells in the bed where the soil is tight, so water reaches the aquifer faster.
Fence or plant the banks, mark the boundary and hand upkeep to the panchayat or residents' body.
The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 761 ponds in Hapur district, out of 763 water bodies in all. That is the 70th most ponds of 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh counted by the census.
The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 1 lake and 0 reservoirs in Hapur district, along with 1 tank.
176 of the 763 water bodies (23%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 341 had been encroached upon.
A working pond holds rain long enough for it to soak into the ground and refill wells and borewells nearby. A silted or encroached pond sends that rain down the drain instead. Desilting, reopening inlets and adding recharge shafts in the pond bed are among the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.
In the 2025 Central Ground Water Board assessment, Hapur district pumped out 94% of the groundwater that can safely be taken out each year ("critical").
Districts ranked by number of ponds in the 1st Census of Water Bodies.