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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in Madhya Pradesh

79,818ponds, out of 82,643 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 82,643 water bodies in Madhya Pradesh. 45,386 of them were not in use and 1,779 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in Madhya Pradesh

45,386 of 82,643 water bodies (55%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

82,643ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
79,818of them are ponds (97%)
45%still in use (37,257)
1,779encroached upon
  • Ponds79,818
  • Tanks71
  • Lakes30
  • Reservoirs75
  • Check dams and percolation tanks338
  • Others2,311

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

Ponds in each district of Madhya 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. 1Balaghat5,011 water bodies, 43% not in use5,003
  2. 2Katni4,103 water bodies, 99% not in use4,098
  3. 3Shahdol3,853 water bodies, 10% not in use3,762
  4. 4Betul3,776 water bodies, 77% not in use3,653
  5. 5Seoni3,622 water bodies, 50% not in use3,548
  6. 6Vidisha3,233 water bodies, 51% not in use3,233
  7. 7Dhar3,261 water bodies, 66% not in use3,125
  8. 8Anuppur2,962 water bodies, 41% not in use2,958
  9. 9Mandla2,773 water bodies, 35% not in use2,767
  10. 10Panna2,771 water bodies, 75% not in use2,736
  11. 11Dewas2,688 water bodies, 35% not in use2,657
  12. 12Sehore2,516 water bodies, 36% not in use2,379
  13. 13Umaria2,339 water bodies, 60% not in use2,240
  14. 14Chhatarpur2,242 water bodies, 53% not in use2,233
  15. 15Ashoknagar2,182 water bodies, 39% not in use2,182
  16. 16Singrauli2,115 water bodies, 60% not in use2,113
  17. 17Ujjain1,711 water bodies, 58% not in use1,644
  18. 18Tikamgarh1,627 water bodies, 42% not in use1,627
  19. 19Morena1,633 water bodies, 83% not in use1,625
  20. 20Ratlam1,546 water bodies, 61% not in use1,534
  21. 21Dindori1,520 water bodies, 20% not in use1,518
  22. 22Neemuch1,463 water bodies, 71% not in use1,457
  23. 23Gwalior1,496 water bodies, 96% not in use1,328
  24. 24Guna1,212 water bodies, 69% not in use1,202
  25. 25Shivpuri1,199 water bodies, 97% not in use1,196
  26. 26Jhabua1,020 water bodies, 38% not in use1,002
  27. 27Hoshangabad1,008 water bodies, 42% not in use983
  28. 28Sagar1,157 water bodies, 53% not in use929
  29. 29Raisen933 water bodies, 51% not in use918
  30. 30Khargone899 water bodies, 5% not in use887
  31. 31Datia956 water bodies, 71% not in use882
  32. 32Alirajpur803 water bodies, 61% not in use802
  33. 33Bhind1,604 water bodies, 80% not in use732
  34. 34Rajgarh711 water bodies, 33% not in use700
  35. 35Agar Malwa692 water bodies, 63% not in use667
  36. 36Indore636 water bodies, 67% not in use635
  37. 37Damoh578 water bodies, 11% not in use576
  38. 38Narsinghpur564 water bodies, 85% not in use532
  39. 39Mandsaur527 water bodies, 54% not in use519
  40. 40Niwari537 water bodies, 71% not in use512
  41. 41Shajapur462 water bodies, 75% not in use454
  42. 42Sheopur408 water bodies, 72% not in use408
  43. 43Bhopal390 water bodies, 56% not in use377
  44. 44Sidhi337 water bodies, 62% not in use336
  45. 45Jabalpur313 water bodies, 56% not in use312
  46. 46Khandwa318 water bodies, 65% not in use309
  47. 47Barwani149 water bodies, 34% not in use147
  48. 48Burhanpur106 water bodies, 77% not in use106
  49. 49Harda44 water bodies, 91% not in use40

Groundwater in Madhya Pradesh

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

Groundwater level in Madhya Pradesh

Bringing a pond in Madhya 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 Madhya Pradesh?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 79,818 ponds in Madhya Pradesh, out of 82,643 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in Madhya Pradesh?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 30 lakes and 75 reservoirs in Madhya Pradesh, along with 71 tanks.

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

45,386 of the 82,643 water bodies (55%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 1,779 had been encroached upon.

Which district of Madhya Pradesh has the most ponds?

Balaghat, with 5,003 ponds and 5,011 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in Madhya 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.