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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in Karnataka

6,431ponds, out of 27,013 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 27,013 water bodies in Karnataka. 21,139 of them were not in use and 948 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in Karnataka

21,139 of 27,013 water bodies (78%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

27,013ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
6,431of them are ponds (24%)
22%still in use (5,874)
948encroached upon
  • Ponds6,431
  • Tanks17,015
  • Lakes1,892
  • Reservoirs289
  • Check dams and percolation tanks195
  • Others1,191

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

Ponds in each district of Karnataka

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. 1Hassan5,491 water bodies, 74% not in use1,731
  2. 2Mandya2,437 water bodies, 58% not in use881
  3. 3Tumakuru3,109 water bodies, 92% not in use795
  4. 4Shivamogga3,937 water bodies, 57% not in use724
  5. 5Chikkaballapura753 water bodies, 90% not in use436
  6. 6Bengaluru South1,213 water bodies, 82% not in use360
  7. 7Kolara1,304 water bodies, 91% not in use326
  8. 8Haveri1,449 water bodies, 60% not in use297
  9. 9Udupi618 water bodies, 100% not in use205
  10. 10Uttara Kannada1,313 water bodies, 86% not in use162
  11. 11Raichur133 water bodies, 100% not in use121
  12. 12Chitradurga460 water bodies, 83% not in use118
  13. 13Bidar730 water bodies, 100% not in use67
  14. 14Belagavi145 water bodies, 100% not in use35
  15. 15Gadag92 water bodies, 73% not in use30
  16. 16Bengaluru (Urban)718 water bodies, 100% not in use29
  17. 17Davanagere387 water bodies, 97% not in use25
  18. 18Yadgir349 water bodies, 100% not in use21
  19. 19Kodagu584 water bodies, 100% not in use10
  20. 20Dharwad87 water bodies, 47% not in use10
  21. 21Chikkamagaluru477 water bodies, 78% not in use8
  22. 22Kalburgi527 water bodies, 100% not in use6
  23. 23Mysuru318 water bodies, 99% not in use0
  24. 24Koppal98 water bodies, 100% not in use0
  25. 25Chamarajanagara83 water bodies, 100% not in use0
  26. 26Bengaluru (Rural)15 water bodies, 100% not in use0
  27. 27Vijayapura14 water bodies, 100% not in use0

Groundwater in Karnataka

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

Groundwater level in Karnataka

Bringing a pond in Karnataka 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 Karnataka?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 6,431 ponds in Karnataka, out of 27,013 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in Karnataka?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 1,892 lakes and 289 reservoirs in Karnataka, along with 17,015 tanks.

How many water bodies in Karnataka are not in use?

21,139 of the 27,013 water bodies (78%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 948 had been encroached upon.

Which district of Karnataka has the most ponds?

Hassan, with 1,731 ponds and 5,491 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in Karnataka?

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.