Water resources of Maharashtra: rivers, dams, groundwater, watershed
What this domain tests
This domain tests map-level knowledge of Maharashtra's rivers and dams, the state's dependence on hard-rock groundwater, and the watershed programmes Maharashtra has made its signature.
Rivers and basins
- Godavari - the state's largest basin, rising at Trimbakeshwar in Nashik and draining central and eastern Maharashtra through the Wardha, Wainganga and Penganga. Jayakwadi (Nath Sagar) near Paithan is its major storage.
- Krishna - rises at Mahabaleshwar; Maharashtra tributaries include the Bhima, Koyna and Panchganga. Ujani dam on the Bhima is among the state's largest.
- Tapi (Tapti) - rises in Betul, Madhya Pradesh, and flows west through Khandesh to the Arabian Sea.
- Konkan rivers - Ulhas, Vaitarna, Savitri: short, steep and monsoon-fed. Mumbai draws on Bhatsa, Vaitarna, Modak Sagar and Tulsi.
- Koyna (Shivsagar) in Satara is a major hydro-electric and irrigation scheme.
Groundwater and watershed management
Deccan basalt is a hard-rock aquifer: water sits in the weathered mantle and fractures, so borewell yields drop sharply in summer. Roughly four-fifths of rural drinking water comes from groundwater, and several talukas of Marathwada and Vidarbha are officially over-exploited. The Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Act, 2009, provides watershed-based regulation. Community models carry marks: Pani Panchayat at Naigaon (Purandar), Hiware Bazar's watershed and grazing rules, Ralegan Siddhi's ban on free grazing and felling, and the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan launched in 2015 for village water conservation.
Worked example
A school roof of 100 m² receives 800 mm of rain a year: 100 × 0.8 = 80 m³, that is 80,000 litres. At 60% collection efficiency, 48,000 litres are harvested - about 100 days of drinking water for 60 students at 8 litres a day. Convert rainfall depth to metres before multiplying by area; the loss is first flush and evaporation.
Traps that cost marks
Naming the Krishna as Maharashtra's largest basin. Confusing Koyna dam with Kolhapur's Panchganga. Describing Jalyukt Shivar as dam construction rather than desilting and water conservation.