New Delhi, Oct 3: Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have recorded the sharpest declines in the number of water bodies among states covered by the Centre’s Second Census of Water Bodies, with the northeastern states registering falls of 63% and 50%, respectively. The findings are part of Volume II, Part II of the Second Census of Water Bodies, covering 19 states and the Union Territories of Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The report was released by Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil during the valedictory ceremony of the ninth India International Water Week at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 25. Patil said reliable data on their condition, use, storage capacity, filling status and encroachments would help identify water-stressed areas and improve water management.

According to the census, the number of identified water bodies in Mizoram fell from 2,185 in the first census to 808 in the second, a decline of 63%. In Arunachal Pradesh, the number dropped from 993 to 499, marking a 50% fall.

The two northeastern states were among five states that recorded a decline in water bodies between the two censuses. Jharkh and, Telangana and Rajasthan also reported decreases, while Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir recorded increases.

The second census covers Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkh and, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagal and, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakh and, besides Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir. The first Census of Water Bodies was conducted with 2017-18 as its reference year, while the second census was launched on April 3, 2025, with 2023-24 as the reference year.

The exercise gathers data on the type, ownership, condition, use, storage capacity, filling status and encroachments of water bodies across rural and urban areas. The census is intended to create a comprehensive database to support planning and policymaking for the preservation, conservation and renovation of water bodies.

While the latest figures highlight substantial declines in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, the data does not by itself establish the reasons behind the reduction in the number of water bodies recorded between the two censuses.