All the rivers of Maharashtra are rainfed. Their annual flow pattern strictly changes in accordance with the monsoon rainfall. The orographic effect of the Western Ghat is mainly responsible for significant spatial variation in the rainfall in the state. Due to the dominance of hard rock terrain (?95%), the availability of groundwater is generally low and there is severe water scarcity in the dry season, particularly in the rainshadow zone. In spite of the fact that irrigation sector in Maharashtra is one of the largest, and long-term trends in monsoon rainfall have revealed significant increase in ten western districts, still a large part of agriculture is rainfed and thousands of villages are dependent on water tankers during the dry season. In recent years greater emphasis has been placed on integrated water resource management approaches for sustainable development. Construction of rainwater harvesting and runoff management structures under watershed development programs as well as measures to influence water user’s behavior have achieved only modest success, except in a few isolated cases where local leadership has played a crucial role. As water scarcity in many areas persists and there are serious problems of catchment degradation and pollution, the challenge is to develop better water management strategies and technologies with a focus on sustainable water resources in a scenario of climate change.
The Monsoon-Fed Rivers of Maharashtra: Their Hydrogeomorphic Characteristics and Management
₹100.00
All the rivers of Maharashtra are rainfed. Their annual flow pattern strictly changes in accordance with the monsoon rainfall. The orographic effect of the Western Ghat is mainly responsible for significant spatial variation in the rainfall in the state. Due to the dominance of hard rock terrain (?95%), the availability of groundwater is generally low and there is severe water scarcity in the dry season, particularly in the rainshadow zone. In spite of the fact that irrigation sector in Maharashtra is one of the largest, and long-term trends in monsoon rainfall have revealed significant increase in ten western districts, still a large part of agriculture is rainfed and thousands of villages are dependent on water tankers during the dry season. In recent years greater emphasis has been placed on integrated water resource management approaches for sustainable development. Construction of rainwater harvesting and runoff management structures under watershed development programs as well as measures to influence water user’s behavior have achieved only modest success, except in a few isolated cases where local leadership has played a crucial role. As water scarcity in many areas persists and there are serious problems of catchment degradation and pollution, the challenge is to develop better water management strategies and technologies with a focus on sustainable water resources in a scenario of climate change.
Publication Mode |
Online |
---|---|
Publication Author |
Vishwas S. Kale, Rahul S. Todmal, Pallavi Kulkarni |
Publication Language |
English |
Publication Type |
Conference Paper |
Publication Year |
2014 |
You must be logged in to post a review.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.