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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in Himachal Pradesh

3,247ponds, out of 88,017 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 88,017 water bodies in Himachal Pradesh. 12,146 of them were not in use and 42 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in Himachal Pradesh

12,146 of 88,017 water bodies (14%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

88,017ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
3,247of them are ponds (4%)
86%still in use (75,871)
42encroached upon
  • Ponds3,247
  • Tanks56,583
  • Lakes106
  • Reservoirs249
  • Check dams and percolation tanks893
  • Others26,939

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

Ponds in each district of Himachal 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. 1Kangra9,250 water bodies, 19% not in use1,192
  2. 2Una2,567 water bodies, 30% not in use946
  3. 3Solan9,677 water bodies, 10% not in use412
  4. 4Mandi13,465 water bodies, 15% not in use91
  5. 5Sirmour10,220 water bodies, 18% not in use40

Groundwater in Himachal Pradesh

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

Groundwater level in Himachal Pradesh

Bringing a pond in Himachal 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 Himachal Pradesh?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 3,247 ponds in Himachal Pradesh, out of 88,017 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in Himachal Pradesh?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 106 lakes and 249 reservoirs in Himachal Pradesh, along with 56,583 tanks.

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

12,146 of the 88,017 water bodies (14%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 42 had been encroached upon.

Which district of Himachal Pradesh has the most ponds?

Kangra, with 1,192 ponds and 9,250 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in Himachal 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.