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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in Bihar

35,027ponds, out of 45,793 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 45,793 water bodies in Bihar. 22,799 of them were not in use and 871 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in Bihar

22,799 of 45,793 water bodies (50%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

45,793ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
35,027of them are ponds (76%)
50%still in use (22,994)
871encroached upon
  • Ponds35,027
  • Tanks4,221
  • Lakes2,693
  • Reservoirs2,126
  • Check dams and percolation tanks312
  • Others1,414

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

Ponds in each district of Bihar

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. 1Banka3,344 water bodies, 7% not in use3,164
  2. 2Siwan2,978 water bodies, 66% not in use2,936
  3. 3Madhubani4,893 water bodies, 86% not in use2,736
  4. 4Darbhanga3,759 water bodies, 99% not in use1,813
  5. 5Sitamarhi2,184 water bodies, 62% not in use1,670
  6. 6Gopalganj1,678 water bodies, 78% not in use1,645
  7. 7Vaishali1,635 water bodies, 2% not in use1,635
  8. 8Nalanda2,298 water bodies, 14% not in use1,351
  9. 9Aurangabad1,652 water bodies, 22% not in use1,316
  10. 10Saran1,259 water bodies, 9% not in use1,228
  11. 11Buxar1,267 water bodies, 2% not in use1,223
  12. 12Araria1,981 water bodies, 96% not in use1,167
  13. 13Rohtas1,209 water bodies, 2% not in use1,156
  14. 14Kaimur1,329 water bodies, 5% not in use1,152
  15. 15Supaul1,129 water bodies, 5% not in use1,125
  16. 16Bhojpur1,207 water bodies, 10% not in use1,046
  17. 17Gaya1,265 water bodies, 30% not in use1,020
  18. 18Purnea1,501 water bodies, 100% not in use981
  19. 19West Champaran926 water bodies, 59% not in use854
  20. 20Sheikhpura939 water bodies, 6% not in use840
  21. 21Saharsa811 water bodies, 0% not in use807
  22. 22Muzaffarpur785 water bodies, 91% not in use775
  23. 23Katihar965 water bodies, 100% not in use415
  24. 24Sheohar371 water bodies, 89% not in use358
  25. 25Arwal546 water bodies, 0% not in use338
  26. 26Patna360 water bodies, 28% not in use337
  27. 27Kishanganj341 water bodies, 100% not in use318
  28. 28Madhepura221 water bodies, 4% not in use220
  29. 29Bhagalpur224 water bodies, 92% not in use218
  30. 30Samastipur522 water bodies, 98% not in use207
  31. 31Munger190 water bodies, 32% not in use140
  32. 32Begusarai139 water bodies, 3% not in use137
  33. 33Lakhisarai140 water bodies, 9% not in use133
  34. 34Jamui1,046 water bodies, 91% not in use105
  35. 35Khagaria178 water bodies, 99% not in use92
  36. 36Jehanabad98 water bodies, 4% not in use67
  37. 37Nawada49 water bodies, 0% not in use49

Groundwater in Bihar

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

Groundwater level in Bihar

Bringing a pond in Bihar 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 Bihar?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 35,027 ponds in Bihar, out of 45,793 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in Bihar?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 2,693 lakes and 2,126 reservoirs in Bihar, along with 4,221 tanks.

How many water bodies in Bihar are not in use?

22,799 of the 45,793 water bodies (50%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 871 had been encroached upon.

Which district of Bihar has the most ponds?

Banka, with 3,164 ponds and 3,344 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in Bihar?

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.