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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in Arunachal Pradesh

737ponds, out of 993 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 993 water bodies in Arunachal Pradesh. 128 of them were not in use and 0 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in Arunachal Pradesh

128 of 993 water bodies (13%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

993ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
737of them are ponds (74%)
87%still in use (865)
0encroached upon
  • Ponds737
  • Tanks131
  • Lakes78
  • Reservoirs20
  • Check dams and percolation tanks9
  • Others18

Source: 1st Census of Water Bodies, Ministry of Jal Shakti (counted in 2018-19, published 2023).

Ponds in each district of Arunachal Pradesh

Districts ranked by number of ponds. The bar shows ponds; the line under each name shows all water bodies and how many are not in use.

  1. 1Papum Pare266 water bodies, 0% not in use179
  2. 2West Siang63 water bodies, 3% not in use58
  3. 3Changlang49 water bodies, 2% not in use48
  4. 4Upper Subansiri31 water bodies, 0% not in use31
  5. 5West Kameng18 water bodies, 33% not in use15
  6. 6Tirap17 water bodies, 12% not in use14
  7. 7Lohit11 water bodies, 9% not in use7

Groundwater in Arunachal Pradesh

Ponds are one way rain gets back into the ground. See how hard Arunachal Pradesh is pumping its groundwater, district by district.

Groundwater level in Arunachal Pradesh

Bringing a pond in Arunachal Pradesh back

Most ponds that are not in use can be revived. The work is the same in a village or a city sector:

Step 1

Survey

Map the pond's full original area, its inlets and its catchment, and record encroachments and sewage outfalls.

Step 2

Desilt

Dig out the silt that has sealed the bed, so water soaks into the ground again instead of evaporating.

Step 3

Reconnect

Clear and line the channels that bring rain in, with a silt trap before the pond; divert sewage away from it.

Step 4

Recharge

Add recharge shafts or wells in the bed where the soil is tight, so water reaches the aquifer faster.

Step 5

Protect

Fence or plant the banks, mark the boundary and hand upkeep to the panchayat or residents' body.

Talk to TerraSetu about a pondPond rejuvenation: cost and processOther ways to recharge

Frequently asked questions

How many ponds are there in Arunachal Pradesh?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 737 ponds in Arunachal Pradesh, out of 993 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in Arunachal Pradesh?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 78 lakes and 20 reservoirs in Arunachal Pradesh, along with 131 tanks.

How many water bodies in Arunachal Pradesh are not in use?

128 of the 993 water bodies (13%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 0 had been encroached upon.

Which district of Arunachal Pradesh has the most ponds?

Papum Pare, with 179 ponds and 266 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in Arunachal Pradesh?

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.