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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in Tamil Nadu

38,321ponds, out of 1,06,957 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 1,06,957 water bodies in Tamil Nadu. 50,197 of them were not in use and 8,366 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in Tamil Nadu

50,197 of 1,06,957 water bodies (47%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

1,06,957ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
38,321of them are ponds (36%)
53%still in use (56,760)
8,366encroached upon
  • Ponds38,321
  • Tanks43,837
  • Lakes13,629
  • Reservoirs111
  • Check dams and percolation tanks2,782
  • Others8,277

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

Ponds in each district of Tamil Nadu

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. 1Ramanathapuram10,292 water bodies, 20% not in use5,237
  2. 2Pudukkottai7,575 water bodies, 45% not in use3,063
  3. 3Sivagangai10,032 water bodies, 41% not in use2,482
  4. 4Thiruvarur6,524 water bodies, 10% not in use2,144
  5. 5Thanjavur4,564 water bodies, 39% not in use2,021
  6. 6Cuddalore3,810 water bodies, 69% not in use1,902
  7. 7Tiruvannamalai5,021 water bodies, 57% not in use1,815
  8. 8Virudhunagar3,707 water bodies, 37% not in use1,567
  9. 9Tiruvallur3,758 water bodies, 57% not in use1,229
  10. 10Kanniyakumari2,532 water bodies, 11% not in use1,203
  11. 11Tiruchirappalli2,875 water bodies, 80% not in use1,190
  12. 12Ariyalur2,293 water bodies, 43% not in use1,051
  13. 13Madurai2,295 water bodies, 60% not in use693
  14. 14Namakkal1,061 water bodies, 67% not in use657
  15. 15Erode1,168 water bodies, 48% not in use652
  16. 16Coimbatore939 water bodies, 85% not in use615
  17. 17Tiruppur776 water bodies, 31% not in use568
  18. 18Perambalur1,078 water bodies, 58% not in use442
  19. 19Karur1,034 water bodies, 66% not in use438
  20. 20Krishnagiri1,719 water bodies, 55% not in use381
  21. 21Thoothukudi1,278 water bodies, 44% not in use342
  22. 22Dharmapuri1,225 water bodies, 69% not in use274
  23. 23Salem896 water bodies, 47% not in use243
  24. 24Dindigul2,350 water bodies, 72% not in use236
  25. 25Chennai305 water bodies, 48% not in use142
  26. 26Theni1,361 water bodies, 83% not in use52
  27. 27The Nilgiris98 water bodies, 1% not in use0

Groundwater in Tamil Nadu

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

Groundwater level in Tamil Nadu

Bringing a pond in Tamil Nadu 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 Tamil Nadu?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 38,321 ponds in Tamil Nadu, out of 1,06,957 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in Tamil Nadu?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 13,629 lakes and 111 reservoirs in Tamil Nadu, along with 43,837 tanks.

How many water bodies in Tamil Nadu are not in use?

50,197 of the 1,06,957 water bodies (47%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 8,366 had been encroached upon.

Which district of Tamil Nadu has the most ponds?

Ramanathapuram, with 5,237 ponds and 10,292 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in Tamil Nadu?

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.