Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Launches 'Water Management Action Fortnight 2025

Emphasizes Active Participation of All Departments in Water Conservation Initiatives

Mumbai, April 15, 2025 – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the 'Water Management Action Fortnight 2025' today, aiming to enhance water literacy, promote the importance of water conservation, and implement sustainable water management practices across Maharashtra. The event was held at the Cabinet Hall in Mantralaya, Mumbai, with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar in attendance.

The fortnight, organized by the Water Resources Department, will run from April 15 to April 30, 2025. Chief Minister Fadnavis urged all guardian ministers to actively participate in the programs to ensure their success. He highlighted that resolving water issues requires not only governmental efforts but also active involvement from citizens and representatives.

Key initiatives during the fortnight include:

• Training for water resource officers and staff.
• Implementation of e-office systems.
• Rainwater harvesting and office cleanliness drives.
• Engagement with farmers and water user associations.
• Addressing land acquisition and rehabilitation challenges.
• Canal cleaning campaigns.
• Resolving complaints related to lift irrigation water permissions.
• Identifying and acting against unauthorized commercial and industrial water extraction.
• Joint workshops with the Agriculture Department on crop patterns and water planning.
• Reviewing irrigation e-systems, water tariffs, and recovery of pending water charges.
• Collaborations with universities and NGOs for awareness programs.
• Auditing water usage by municipal bodies and addressing wastewater discharge issues.
• Guidance on disaster management, especially concerning floods and property protection.
• Updating land records and removing encroachments in coordination with the Revenue Department.
• Empowerment workshops for water user associations.
• District-level workshops and women's gatherings with the presence of guardian ministers.
• Felicitating engineers who implement innovative initiatives during the fortnight.Esakal

Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil emphasized the need for the department to adopt a mission-mode approach, making it more people-centric. He stressed the importance of canal maintenance to ensure efficient water usage and called for the use of new technologies for asset management and auditing water usage based on population metrics.