Maharashtra Reports Steady Progress On Water Conservation Efforts

03 Dec 2025 CW Team

Water is a State subject, and the responsibility for the conservation, planning, implementation, funding and execution of water resource management lies primarily with State Governments. The Central Government plays a supplementary role, supporting State-led initiatives.

According to information provided by the Government of Maharashtra, the State has been consistently reviewing the progress of its Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari initiatives, including the Jal Shakti Abhiyan and the Amrit Sarovar programme. These reviews focus on strengthening community participation and ensuring measurable, on-ground outcomes.

The State reported that no delays were identified in the implementation of these projects. Maharashtra has also undertaken a range of measures to strengthen project planning, inter-departmental coordination and outcome measurement for district-level water conservation activities. Programmes such as the Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain serve as convergence platforms for multiple Central and State schemes, including Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan 2.0, the Galmukt Dharan Galyukt Shivar Abhiyan, State-funded initiatives and the Water Conservation Corporation Scheme. These schemes aim to improve on-farm water availability, expand cultivable land under protective irrigation and enhance on-farm water-use efficiency.

A district-level committee oversees the implementation and monitoring of these schemes, chaired by the District Collector. Coordination with departments such as Forest, Employment Guarantee Scheme, Agriculture and Zila Parishad is also managed through the District Collector to ensure cohesive execution.

The information was provided by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

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