Maharashtra Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, directed state officials to implement permanent solutions to the water crisis gripping more than 265 talukas across the state, prioritising an end to dependency on water tankers. The directives were issued during a review meeting covering the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, and Pune divisions.

Key Directives Issued

Minister Patil outlined a multi-pronged action framework centred on immediate and long-term water security. Water supply schemes that have achieved 75 per cent or higher completion and have viable water sources must be commissioned without delay. Officials have been asked to coordinate directly with District Collectors to clear administrative, technical, and infrastructural bottlenecks — including tap connections, pipeline laying, and tank site approvals.

In scarcity-prone areas, priority must be given to stream deepening, desilting, constructing check dams, soak pits, recharge shafts, well repairs, borewell drilling, and expanding overall water storage capacity. Farm pond creation and desilting of existing reservoirs are also mandated wherever feasible.

Funding and Coordination Channels

The Minister directed that funds for water conservation be converged from multiple sources, including the District Planning Committee (DPC), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, District Mineral Foundation (DMF), Jal Jeevan Mission, Gram Panchayats, and the Irrigation Department. Inter-departmental coordination meetings, headed by District Collectors and involving the water supply, agriculture, Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (formerly MGNREGA), and water resources departments, must be convened regularly.

October 15 Deadline and Period-wise Planning

All districts have been asked to finalise their water scarcity action plans by 15 October. District authorities must additionally prepare separate operational plans for three distinct periods: October to December, January to March, and April to June, ensuring that funds, human resources, and equipment are allocated in advance for each phase. Planning for vulnerable villages must account for rainfall data, groundwater levels, current storage, active tankers, and the condition of local water bodies.

Field officers have been directed to visit villages directly, identify localised issues, and report them to the District Collector or Zilla Parishad CEO for immediate resolution. An immediate crackdown on unauthorised water extraction — particularly in the Nashik division — has also been ordered, with District Collectors tasked to form inspection teams and take strict legal action against illegal connections or unauthorised pumping.

Replicating Successful Models

Minister Patil called for the documentation and statewide replication of proven conservation models, specifically citing the Shirpur pattern in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division and water conservation initiatives in Satara district in the Pune division. The meeting highlighted additional regional interventions, including special source-strengthening in the Pune division, recharge shafts and desilting projects in Sangli, and period-wise targeted planning for vulnerable talukas in Solapur.

'Rather than reacting after a scarcity situation arises, proactive planning based on projected shortages is crucial,' Minister Patil stated, adding that 'providing timely water supply to citizens during periods of scarcity is our highest priority.' He stressed that managing available water is a collective responsibility of all administrative bodies — not just Gram Panchayats — and that the government's core objective is to establish permanent infrastructure so that the need for tankers is eliminated altogether.