Traditionally, water was seen as a responsibility of citizens and the community collectively took the responsibility of not only building but also of maintaining the water bodies. Since independence, the government has taken control over the water-bodies and water supply. This, over time, has led to the neglect of the water bodies and catchments areas. People have become used to getting water at the turn of a tap and are no longer interested in maintaining water bodies.

However, there is still hope as concerned citizens across the country have come together to fight to halt this degradation of urban water bodies. In state after state, citizens and NGOs have filed legal cases for protection of urban lakes. Public interest litigations (PILs) have been filed for the protection of the water bodies in many cities.

This interactive map database, shows the threatened lakes across the country and has background information about each water body. Users can also add information into this database.