Introduction

Ponds (also referred to as tanks), are the traditional water harvesting systems, and central to the source of irrigation for agriculture, domestic water needs for livestock and humans and socio-cultural identities and needs of people in India.[1]The study by the Space Application Center of India in 2017-18, found 231,195 waterbodies and wetlands, covering 15.98 million hectares of water surface area, accounting to 4.86% of the total geographic area of the country. Out of the 231,195 waterbodies mapped, 151,815 are ponds/tanks, accounting to 65.67% of the total wetlands and contributing to 11.4% of the total water surface area under wetlands of the country. Aquaculture ponds comprises of 2.7% of the total mapped wetland area of the country.[2] According to the 5th Census of minor irrigation scheme (2013-14), ponds/tanks contributed 41% of the total surface flow in India, a testimony of their significance.[3]

The study on the current status of ponds and tanks in India has found that large number of ponds are concentrated in the plateau and desert regions of the country, compared to the Himalayan and Indo-Gangetic plains. Large number of ponds/tanks are predominantly located in Southern-India, with Andhra Pradesh (22,255), Tamil Nadu (21,501), Maharashtra (19,816), Karnataka (13,347), and Telangana (11,638)[4], indicating their prominence as water-storage structures in water deficit regions of the country.

Ponds/tanks performs many ecological functions and provide numerous ecosystems services. Besides performing crucial environmental functions such as flood alleviation, aquifer recharge, carbon sequestration, nutrient retention, etc; ecologically, ponds/tanks are found to be biodiversity hotspots, supporting far more species (including rare and threated species), than any other freshwater habitats.[5], [6] Despite their socio-economic, ecological, and environmental significance ponds/tanks are one of the most neglected aquatic systems, facing multiple threats and victims of policy paralysis, discussed in the following section.

The Issues and Challenges

Ponds/tanks (less than 1 ha), are largely excluded from several national and international polices and legislations. The majority of the national and international policies and commitments for protection and conservation of freshwater ecosystems are primarily focused on large water bodies (greater than 5 ha) and wetlands of national importance or a part of a protected areas.[7],[8]Wetlands that are less than 2.25 ha of area have been excluded from the wetland classification and identified they are identified as mere point features.2 Consequently, India lost an estimated 80,128 ponds/tanks, resulting in the loss of 1.95 million hectares of water surface area during 2006-2007.[9]

The Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rule – 2017, under the Environment Protection Act – 1986, of India, prohibits encroachment, dumping of solid waste, disposal of untreated sewage and industrial effluents, poaching, industrial expansion and conversion of wetlands; however, such Rules are applicable mainly to the natural water bodies having an inundation are of more than 5 ha, thus completely leaving out ponds/tanks which are usually less than 2 ha and man-made.[10]

The Repair, Renovation, and Restoration (RRR) Scheme – 2005, launched by the Government of India under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), later merged with the Prime Minister Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) – 2015, and the new RRR guidelines – 2022, considers water bodies the size of greater than 2 ha, (rural areas), and greater than 1 ha (urban areas), under the scheme, thus completely excluding the ponds/tanks which are often less than 1 ha, especially in rural India.[11]

Similar to land, water is a state subject and every state has its own classification and interpretation of waterbodies, without having a uniform wetland classification system which is uniformly applicable across the country.[12]There is no specific policy dedicated exclusively for the protection and conservation of ponds/tanks in the country, and such waterbodies are only cursively and indirectly managed by several other polices such as the National Water Policy – 2022; National Environment Policy – 2006; National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystem – 2013; National Action Plan on Climate Change – 2008; The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act – 2005; The Ministry of Rural Development. The absence of dedicated policies, non-existence of a unique and uniform waterbody classification, and multiple cursively related policies and programmes, under different ministries complicates the protection and conservation of ponds/tanks in India.

Yadav and Goyal (2022), points out that the narrow utilitarian use-based understanding and conservation initiatives often fails to recognize the multiple functions of ponds/tanks, leading to the development and implementation of narrow solutions, which are usually inefficient in protection and conservation of waterbodies in general and ponds/tanks in particular. A few suggestions and recommendations have been put forward by the study, which are as follows:

Suggestions and Recommendations for Conservation of Ponds/Tanks

The study on the current status of ponds and tanks in India, by Yadav and Goyal (2022), suggests the following for the protection and conservation of ponds/tanks in India:

Ø Developing a uniform waterbody classification system applicable to all the waterbodies in the country.

Ø Developing a comprehensive database including waterbodies that are less than 1 ha, without leaving out ponds/tanks.

Ø Integration of pond/tank conservation into the sectoral development plans and sustainable development goals.

Ø Appropriate demarcation of pond/tank boundaries and its inclusion in the municipality/panchayat records as vital assets.

Ø Offering incentives, introducing payments for ecosystem services, and promotion of sustainable business models (Amrith Darohar Scheme), carbon offset markets, for sustainable management of ponds/tanks.

Ø Promotion of fisheries in ponds/tanks that are less than 1 ha, with the support of the State Fisheries Departments.

Ø Extension of the RRR scheme to waterbodies that are less than 1 ha in both rural and urban areas.

Ø Devolution and inclusion of local stakeholders in pond/tank management related decisions.

Proposal for the Initiation of the Wetlands India Network (WIN)

In the background of rampant destruction of ponds/tanks, absence of dedicated policies, non-existence of a unique and uniform waterbody classification, and administrative complexity (at the ministry level), lack of acknowledgement of the ecological, environmental, socio-cultural and economic contributions of ponds/tanks, it was proposed to initiate a pan-India level network for augmenting the collaborative and decentralized development of appropriate policies and organizations for protection, conservation and sustainable management of ponds/tanks in India.

Invitation for Suggestions: In this background I would like to invite your valuable suggestions with regards to the need (or the lack of) for initiation of the Wetlands India Network (WIN), developing its vision and mission, defining its objectives and goals, and designing activities and actions, to reach the goals and realizing the vision of WIN, creating a WIN-WIN situation to the both the people, ponds, and the planet. You may please direct your response to the contact details provided here below. Thank you very much in advance!

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge that the discussion note was informed by findings of the study titled “Current status of ponds in India: a framework for restoration, policies and circular economy”, by Yadav and Goyal (2022). I’m really grateful to the authors of the study without which development of this discussion note would not have been possible. You can check their article over this link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01624-9

References

[1]Meter et al. 2014. Monsoon harvests: the living legacies of rainwater harvesting systems in South India. Environ. Sci. Technol. 48, 4217–4225. doi: 10.1021/es4040182

[2]Gupta et al. 2021. Space based observation of Indian Wetlands. Space application centre, Indian space research organisation Ahmedabad, Gujrat, India. https://www.sac.gov.in

[3] Ministry of Jal Shakti. http://mowr.gov.in/

[4]Yadav, S. and Goyal, V.C. 2022. Current status of ponds in India: a framework for restoration, policies and circular economy. Wetlands, 42(107).

[5]Indermuehle et al. 2008. Pond conservation in Europe: the European Pond Conservation Network (EPCN). SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010 30:446–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/03680770.2008.11902163

[6]Oertli and Parris 2019. Review: toward management of urban ponds for freshwater biodiversity. Ecosphere. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2810

[7]Hill et al. 2018. New policy directions for global pond conservation. Conservation Letters 11:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12447

[8]Ramsar-Convention-on-Wetlands 2018

[9]Ministry of Jal Shakti, India (MoJS 2022), http://mowr.gov.in/

[10]Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change India (MoEF&CC 2021)- http://moef.gov.in

[11]Ministry of Jal Shakti 2022

[12]Ministry of Jal Shakti, http://mowr.gov.in/