Maharashtra govt foresees water scarcity, asks officials to ready action plan

Mumbai: The govt on Thursday asked officials to prepare an action plan for potential drinking water scarcity from Oct 2026 to June 2027. The state government said the groundwater survey and development agency should submit a list of villages to the District Collector if a water shortage is possible. The state govt has directed that programmes should be initiated to implement water conservation measures and measures to strengthen water sources already and action should be taken to complete the ongoing projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission on a war footing so that the villages can get the benefit of water as soon as possible. Similarly, no permission must be given to dig any wells for any purpose other than drinking water within 500 meters of water sources.

A Water Supply and Sanitation department Govt Resolution (GR) said priority should be given to other measures to conserve water, and supplying water by tanker must be the last option. “Where other urgent measures cannot be taken, drinking water should be supplied through tankers or bullock carts. Tanker owners must install GPS systems on tankers, and maintenance and repair of the GPS system should be done by tanker owners at his own expense,” the GR said.

“Every year, the state experiences a shortage of drinking water due to insufficient rainfall or other reasons. Regarding the schemes to be taken for the alleviation of drinking water shortage, standing orders have been issued. Measures to be taken for the alleviation of water shortage are to be implemented till June 30. Considering the possibility of a shortage of drinking water in some areas in the coming summer, it is necessary to start action immediately,” officials said.

“Officials should study the average annual rainfall and the difference in rainfall during the current monsoon as well as whether there has been a decrease in the groundwater level, based on the information from the observation wells in that area. If there is a possibility of water shortage in such areas in the coming summer, a list of such villages/wadas should be prepared and submitted,” officials said.

“Action should be taken to impose a temporary ban on groundwater abstraction through wells within 1 km of public drinking water sources. To ensure a smooth water supply in areas with a shortage of drinking water and to limit govt expenditure on it, care should be taken to strictly follow these instructions,” the GR said.