Bihar is facing a silent environmental catastrophe as its traditional water sources are being wiped out at an unprecedented rate. According to the latest Jal Shakti Ministry census, approximately 8,940 water bodies have gone missing in the state within half a decade. This loss comes at a time when the country is battling an intensifying water crisis, making the preservation of existing lakes and ponds more critical than ever. The report underscores that the number of functional water bodies in Bihar has dropped from 45,793 to 36,856.
The census provides a detailed breakdown of the disappearing assets. The state has lost over 1,400 ponds since the last survey, but the most shocking decline is seen in the category of lakes and tanks. Lakes, which were once 2,693 in number, have been reduced to just 258. Similarly, the count of tanks has crashed by nearly 80%. Most of these sources are under the jurisdiction of local Panchayats (40.4%) or the State Water Resources Department (22.3%), yet they have been unable to prevent this large-scale disappearance.
Experts attribute this phenomenon to the nexus between the land mafia and local administrative apathy. Urbanization and illegal construction on dried-up pond beds have become common practices. Despite the Patna High Court noting that over a thousand ponds have been encroached upon, political statements often downplay the severity of the issue. The discrepancy between official government claims and the census data has now become a point of intense debate in the Bihar Assembly, with opposition leaders accusing the administration of masking the truth.
