Maharashtra imposes minimum 10% water cut in urban, rural local bodies from Oct 16 amid deficient monsoon

Maharashtra will impose a minimum 10 per cent cut in water supply across all urban and rural local bodies from October 16, as the state grapples with the effects of a deficient monsoon this year.

State Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said the department has carried out detailed dam-wise and use-wise planning of available water stocks up to August 31, 2027, factoring in the impact of El Nino and the possibility of a drought-like situation.

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"Drinking water will be given the highest priority. All municipal corporations, municipalities and gram panchayats have been directed to implement a 10 per cent water cut from October 16," Mahajan said in a statement.

The government has also directed local bodies to undertake special drives to prevent water leakage and to operate sewage treatment plants at full capacity. Treated wastewater will be used for activities such as gardening, construction and washing, the statement said.

Industries have been directed to reuse or recycle at least 30 per cent of the water they use, as per the statement.

A 10 per cent additional emergency buffer stock will be maintained in each dam, Mahajan said. Water required for drinking purposes will be reserved up to August 31, 2027, after accounting for evaporation, silt and unauthorised extraction. Water will be released for irrigation only after drinking water, livestock and fodder requirements are met, he added.

Rabi foodgrains and fodder will get priority, followed by other Rabi crops, while perennial crops will be permitted only if water remains available, the statement said.

Mahajan appealed to citizens and government agencies to use water judiciously, adding that the Water Resources, Revenue, Agriculture, Industries and Urban Development departments are working in coordination to deal with the situation.

The decision follows an internal assessment by the water resources department, which worked out how much water needs to be held back for drinking purposes till August 2027, after accounting for losses from evaporation, silt accumulation and unauthorised extraction. Based on this calculation, the department fixed a priority order: drinking water first, followed by livestock and fodder needs, then irrigation, with Rabi foodgrains and fodder crops getting precedence over other Rabi and perennial crops.

An additional 10 per cent emergency buffer was also built into each dam's reserve. The uniform 10 per cent cut across urban and rural local bodies was arrived at as the mechanism to stretch existing stocks through the dry months without touching the drinking water reserve.

Crackdown on illegal water use

Unauthorised extraction from dams, rivers and canals has been flagged as one of the factors eating into the reserve meant for drinking water, which is why the water resources department is now working with revenue and police authorities to curb it. Joint teams will patrol vulnerable stretches, and illegal pumps and other equipment used for unauthorised extraction will be seized.

Also read: BMC announces 10% water supply cut: No water for swimming pools, action against misuse of drinking water and more

The enforcement drive runs alongside the leak-prevention and wastewater-reuse measures directed at local bodies, as the state looks to plug losses at every stage of the supply chain rather than rely only on the planned cut to make up the shortfall.

El Nino conditions this year have contributed to a deficient monsoon in parts of Maharashtra, putting pressure on water availability for drinking, agriculture and industry in the months ahead. With the monsoon falling short, the government is planning reserves well in advance, up to August 2027, rather than depending on normal replenishment from the next monsoon alone.

Dam-wise conservation planning and phased water cuts are measures state authorities typically turn to in such years, aimed at stretching existing stocks through the dry season.

The push for industries to recycle water and for local bodies to reuse treated wastewater for gardening, construction and washing points to a broader effort to cut overall demand on fresh water stocks, not just ration supply at the consumer end.

(With inputs from PTI)