Maharashtra has ordered district administrations to prepare and submit water-scarcity action plans after the state recorded a reported 17% rainfall deficit and faced a heightened possibility of drought-like conditions. The directive was issued by the Water Supply and Sanitation Department to all district collectors on Wednesday.
The orders require district administrations to identify villages, hamlets and settlements that may need drinking-water interventions if scarcity intensifies. The plans must be approved at the district level and sent to the state government, according to the report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency and related groundwater authorities have been asked to assess annual rainfall, falling groundwater levels and the condition of wells in their respective areas. The resulting list of potentially affected settlements is to be submitted to district collectors through tehsildars.
The directive places groundwater conditions at the centre of the state’s preparedness process. District authorities have been told to ensure that the projected cost of water-scarcity measures remains realistic, while also implementing water-conservation measures that can strengthen local water sources.
The department has also issued restrictions around public drinking-water sources. Permission should not be granted for digging new wells within 500 metres of a public drinking-water source, the instructions state. Restrictions should also be imposed on extraction from wells located within one kilometre of sources where such extraction could affect public drinking-water availability.
The measures are intended to help districts prepare before drinking-water shortages become acute. Their implementation will depend on local assessments of rainfall, groundwater depletion, existing well conditions and the number of settlements requiring intervention.
The order also places responsibility on district-level agencies to align scarcity measures with groundwater protection and water conservation. The approved action plans are now to be forwarded to the state government for further action.
