Bhuj, Feb 9 : The Kutch district administration has completed a comprehensive exercise to formally bring 910 lakes across 281 villages into official revenue records, enabling structured conservation, water harvesting, protection and beautification works in Gujaratâ??s largest and water-stressed district.

The initiative, carried out under the guidance of Collector Anand Patel, was completed within a short span of three months and covered all 10 talukas of the district.

Through scientific land measurement, field verification and final revenue orders, approximately 5,691 acres of land associated with these lakes has been granted official (niyam) status, officials said.

Kutch lies in a semi-arid geographical zone where water remains a critical requirement for drinking purposes, agriculture and animal husbandry.

While numerous lakes and water bodies existed across the district, many did not have a clearly defined legal identity or recorded area in revenue records, which limited the scope for planned conservation, development and protection work.

The district administration, therefore, launched a mission-mode campaign to identify such lakes and formally record them.

As part of the process, modern survey techniques were used by the District Inspector of Land Records (DILR), the revenue department authority responsible for land measurement, boundary fixation and record preparation.

Officials said the involvement of the DILR will help prevent future disputes, encroachments and illegal occupation of lake land.

According to official data, 313 lakes were recorded in Bhuj taluka, 163 in Nakhatrana, 132 in Anjar, 87 in Abdasa, 78 in Bhachau, 45 in Lakhpat, 38 in Mandvi, 25 in Mundra, 18 in Rapar and 11 in Gandhidham, taking the total to 910.

In Bhuj city, orders have been issued to grant official status to 21 lakes, and the process of handing them over to the concerned authorities has been completed.

Officials said several lakes identified during the campaign were located on grazing land, and their complete details have been shared with the district panchayat to ensure protection and management through local self-government institutions.

Collector Anand Patel said, "With their inclusion in revenue records, these lakes can now be taken up under government schemes such as Sujalam Sufalam Yojana, Amrit Sarovar and other water conservation programmes. The administration expects the move to support groundwater recharge, improve water levels in nearby wells, borewells and tubewells, reduce salinity and help improve the local micro-climate."

Plantation activities around lake peripheries by the forest department and planned works by the irrigation department are also proposed. Officials said the exercise is among the largest district-level efforts in Gujarat to formally recognise lake lands, creating a clear administrative framework for long-term water resource management in Kutch.

/IANS