Maharashtra continues to grapple with deep regional disparities in water availability. This pressing issue was brought into sharp focus during the Vidarbha Pani Parishad, where state officials highlighted the mismatch between massive dam projects and the realities on the ground.
Speaking at the event, state leadership acknowledged that Maharashtra’s current water management strategy needs a paradigm shift. “Large dams alone are not the solution to our water woes,” said a senior state representative, stressing the need for smaller, decentralised conservation efforts. He underscored that local water planning and sustainable practices, such as check dams and farm ponds, hold the key to long-term resilience.
Citing the success of the state’s flagship water conservation initiative, Jalyukt Shivar, the official said that integrating various departments under the authority of district collectors has proven to be a game changer. Unlike older fragmented schemes that suffered from poor coordination, the Baliraja-led convergence model ensured accountability and efficiency at the local level. The scheme, which attracted over Rs 700 crore in public contributions, improved groundwater levels in more than 20,000 villages, particularly in water-stressed regions like Marathwada.A High Court-mandated evaluation in 2018 confirmed the scheme’s effectiveness, followed by a 2020 central groundwater report that identified Maharashtra as the only state with consistent annual improvements in groundwater levels. This improvement was achieved even in years when rainfall fell short by 25%, avoiding the spectre of drought that looms large over many other states.
The session also brought into focus the state’s major water transfer and irrigation projects. Among them is the ambitious 500 km Wainganga-Nalganga river-linking project, which aims to transport surplus water from Vidarbha across seven districts into the Godavari basin. Similar initiatives include five additional river-linking schemes and the Tapi Water Recharge Project, designed to redirect 35 TMC of water to salinity-hit regions.Since 2014, Maharashtra has completed 90 irrigation projects and transitioned towards piped water distribution networks post-2017. These have led to a savings of 8 TMC of water, highlighting improved efficiency and lower transmission losses. The state is also drawing inspiration from global best practices, especially Israel’s success with micronutrient delivery and precision irrigation technologies.
However, Maharashtra’s water crisis is not confined to rural areas. Urban centres face mounting challenges due to untreated domestic sewage. Over 90% of river and nullah pollution in cities like Nagpur, Pune, and Mumbai is attributed to residential waste, not industry. There is an urgent need for modernised sewage systems and decentralised treatment facilities to curb urban water pollution.The state is also witnessing a rising incidence of inter-district water disputes, such as the Nashik-Marathwada standoff, which are expected to escalate with increasing demand. Officials warned that without strategic planning and cooperative water governance, these tensions could deepen.
As water scarcity becomes a defining issue of this decade, Maharashtra’s model of blending large-scale engineering with localised, participatory water management may offer a roadmap for other states. Yet, its success hinges on consistent policy attention, transparent implementation, and active citizen engagement.
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