In 3 decades, Guj improves its lake, reservoir areas by 577 sq km: Study
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Ahmedabad: A recent study by IIT Roorkee indicated that Gujarat recorded a rise in lentic water bodies (LWB) by 577 sq km from 1990 to the 2020s. Water bodies with still water, such as ponds, lakes, and reservoirs, are identified as LWB, reports Parth Shastri.
Based on satellite data analysis along with other parameters, researchers indicated Gujarat had 308 sq km area of LWB in 1990, which increased to 885 sq km, marking a rise of 187%. The study, 'Exploring the Intersection of Socioeconomic and Environmental Changes and Their Impact on India's Lentic Water Systems,' by Pooja Singh, Tanya Nema, Basant Yadav, Abhay Raj, and Ilhan Özgen from IIT-R and Germany-based Technical University of Braunschweig, is in preprint of Elsevier journal Environmental and Sustainability Indicators.
The study considered four major states in four regions of India – Punjab in the north, Gujarat in the west, Kerala in the south, and West Bengal in the east. According to the study, Gujarat recorded the highest rise in LWBs among the four states.
The study collected three decades of data for parameters such as social, economic, and meteorological data and their impact on LWBs.
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According to the study, LWBs in Punjab fluctuated from 21.2 sq km to 30.9 sq km over three decades, whereas in West Bengal, the range was 557.3 sq km to 459.8 sq km. The LWB area in Kerala grew from 44.5 sq km to 72.3 sq km over three decades, the second highest among the four states after Gujarat.
More importantly, the study highlighted that the LWB trend can be attributed to the overall positive trend of total water - growing from 27,225.3 sq km to 36,231 sq km in three decades. 'Overall, the total water area exhibited differing trends throughout states, with Gujarat showing the most substantial positive growth and Punjab showing the highest drop, despite an ongoing rise in the number of LWB,' indicated the study.
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Narmada water scheme
in various regions earlier not part of the scheme is considered to be the biggest factor for the phenomenon where the waters are now reaching up to the Kutch region," said an Ahmedabad-based water resources expert. "Along with that, the sustained campaigns, especially in the Saurashtra region, have yielded results in the form of a rise in check dams and smaller reservoirs."
Researchers also pointed to the state's rise in the share of water in the total surface area at about 3.7 percentage points in three decades. Three other states recorded a not-so-significant rise. 'Gujarat had a 3.7% rise in water area, a 0.93% gain in built-up area, and a 2.75% drop in barren land area, while agricultural land went up by 0.18%. LULC changes were constant across the study states, with built-up regions expanding, barren lands contracting, and agricultural and dense vegetation areas showing mixed patterns,' added researchers.
It is notable that in 2024 the state govt mentioned in a report on water sources that the available water in Gujarat is 55,608 million cubic meters (MCM), out of which 38,100 MCM (68.5%) is surface water, and the rest is groundwater. Interestingly, 80% of the surface water is located in the south and central Gujarat regions.
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