• India is facing a water crisis with groundwater decline and biodiversity loss, and climate change increasing the frequency of floods and droughts.
  • India’s first waterbody census’s objective was to develop a national database with information on the size, purpose, ownership, status, and conditions of water bodies. It covered all natural and human-made units bounded on all sides for storing water, irrespective of condition or use.
  • If such censuses are conducted every five or 10 years, over time, they represent the pulse on the state of water in the country as a whole and trends over time.