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Ponds and lakes · State

Ponds and lakes in Telangana

27,003ponds, out of 64,055 water bodies

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 64,055 water bodies in Telangana. 12,323 of them were not in use and 3,032 had been encroached upon. Pick a district below to see its ponds on a map, village by village.

What the census counted in Telangana

12,323 of 64,055 water bodies (19%) are not in use: dried up, silted, built over or polluted. Bringing them back is one of the cheapest ways to recharge groundwater.

64,055ponds, tanks, lakes and other water bodies
27,003of them are ponds (42%)
81%still in use (51,732)
3,032encroached upon
  • Ponds27,003
  • Tanks16,292
  • Lakes289
  • Reservoirs111
  • Check dams and percolation tanks19,239
  • Others1,121

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

Ponds in each district of Telangana

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. 1Medak3,407 water bodies, 17% not in use2,126
  2. 2Nagarkurnool3,083 water bodies, 36% not in use1,581
  3. 3Jangaon5,032 water bodies, 38% not in use1,498
  4. 4Siddipet3,316 water bodies, 15% not in use1,386
  5. 5Sangareddy3,260 water bodies, 20% not in use1,317
  6. 6Yadadri Bhuvanagiri2,542 water bodies, 25% not in use1,239
  7. 7Mahabubabad2,344 water bodies, 3% not in use1,238
  8. 8Karimnagar1,544 water bodies, 4% not in use1,147
  9. 9Nalgonda1,970 water bodies, 51% not in use1,114
  10. 10Jogulamba Gadwal1,338 water bodies, 42% not in use881
  11. 11Komarambheem Asifabad1,873 water bodies, 4% not in use779
  12. 12Bhadradri Kothagudem3,125 water bodies, 4% not in use743
  13. 13Mancherial1,733 water bodies, 3% not in use716
  14. 14Peddapalle1,410 water bodies, 6% not in use679
  15. 15Khammam1,683 water bodies, 3% not in use651
  16. 16Vikarabad1,358 water bodies, 31% not in use591
  17. 17Wanaparthy1,490 water bodies, 14% not in use588
  18. 18Jagtial1,161 water bodies, 11% not in use578
  19. 19Suryapet1,106 water bodies, 26% not in use510
  20. 20Rajanna Siricilla842 water bodies, 6% not in use471
  21. 21Nizamabad1,333 water bodies, 1% not in use461
  22. 22Medchal Malkajgiri533 water bodies, 63% not in use360
  23. 23Adilabad2,377 water bodies, 21% not in use319
  24. 24Nirmal1,016 water bodies, 3% not in use292
  25. 25Kamareddy3,174 water bodies, 5% not in use195
  26. 26Hyderabad94 water bodies, 12% not in use64

Groundwater in Telangana

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

Groundwater level in Telangana

Bringing a pond in Telangana 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 Telangana?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies (Ministry of Jal Shakti, counted in 2018-19, published 2023) counted 27,003 ponds in Telangana, out of 64,055 water bodies in all.

How many lakes are there in Telangana?

The 1st Census of Water Bodies counted 289 lakes and 111 reservoirs in Telangana, along with 16,292 tanks.

How many water bodies in Telangana are not in use?

12,323 of the 64,055 water bodies (19%) were not in use when counted: dried up, silted, cut off from their catchment, polluted or built over. 3,032 had been encroached upon.

Which district of Telangana has the most ponds?

Medak, with 2,126 ponds and 3,407 water bodies in all, according to the 1st Census of Water Bodies.

How do ponds help groundwater in Telangana?

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.