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Paper ID:
IJSREM62969
Volume:
10 |
5 |
May 2026
Pages:
1-12
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Water Supply and Sanitation, Government of Maharashtra
Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), Solapur, Maharashtra, India
Water Supply and Sanitation, Government of Maharashtra
Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA), Solapur, Maharashtra, India
Groundwater constitutes the primary freshwater resource for over 70% of Maharashtra's rural and peri-urban population, underpinning agricultural livelihoods, industrial enterprise, and domestic water security across the state's predominantly semi-arid Deccan Basaltic Trap terrain. The Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Act, 2009 — enacted under Maharashtra Act No. XXVI of 2013 — represents the most substantive legislative instrument for groundwater governance in the state, establishing a multi-tiered regulatory architecture encompassing the State Groundwater Authority, District Authority, District Watershed Management Committees, Watershed Water Resources Committees (WWRC), and the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA). This paper undertakes a comprehensive, multi-dimensional analysis of the Act's legislative design, definitional framework, institutional mandates, regulatory provisions, enforcement mechanisms, community participation imperatives, and integration with allied policy frameworks including the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority Act 2005, and the GEC 2015/2024–25 groundwater estimation methodologies. Drawing upon field observations and institutional research from Solapur District, Maharashtra — one of the most groundwater-stressed and over-exploited districts in peninsular India — the paper critically evaluates the Act's operational efficacy, identifies structural implementation gaps, and proposes a suite of evidence-based reforms. We examine the Act through seven analytical lenses: (i) legislative intent and constitutional grounding; (ii) definitional precision and conceptual adequacy; (iii) institutional design and inter-agency coordination; (iv) notified area regulation and groundwater use planning; (v) drinking water source protection and water scarcity response; (vi) community governance through the WWRC; and (vii) enforcement, penalties, and grievance redressal. Our findings reveal that while the Act provides a robust legislative foundation, persistent implementation deficits, inadequate staffing of GSDA, non-operationalization of WWRCs across critical watersheds, and weak cess enforcement significantly constrain its transformative potential. The paper concludes with a proposed Integrated Groundwater Governance Reform Framework (IGGRF) and recommends legislative amendments, institutional capacity investments, and technology-driven monitoring innovations to position the Act as a globally exemplary instrument for semi-arid groundwater sustainability.
KEYWORDS
The Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Act, 2009 represents a legislative landmark in India's groundwater governance journey. Its multi-tier institutional architecture, watershed-based planning philosophy, community governance innovation through the WWRC, explicit equity provisions for small and marginal farmers, and integration with the broader MWRRA framework collectively constitute one of the most sophisticated state groundwater regulatory instruments in the country. Yet the Act's transformative potential remains substantially unrealised, constrained by GSDA staffing deficits, incomplete WWRC operationalisation, non-implementation of the cess mechanism, GEC notification lag, and insufficient enforcement investment. Solapur District — Maharashtra's most acutely groundwater-stressed region — exemplifies both the urgency and the feasibility of stronger Act implementation. The authors' decade-long research programme from Solapur — spanning hydrogeological field studies, socioeconomic analysis, governance research, AI-technology integration, and community awareness innovation — demonstrates that the scientific, social, and institutional knowledge required for transformative Act implementation is available and field-validated. The Integrated Groundwater Governance Reform Framework (IGGRF) proposed in this paper charts a five-pillar pathway: institutional strengthening, scientific and digital infrastructure, legislative amendment, economic instruments, and community capacity. These reforms, pursued in concert, can position the Act as a globally exemplary model of integrated, equity-oriented, and scientifically grounded groundwater sustainability governance — one that is urgently needed as Maharashtra faces the compounding pressures of climate change, agrarian demand, and rapid urbanisation in its Deccan heartland.
1. Shaikh, M. A., & Birajdar, F. (2026). From Policy to Practice: A Governance Case Study of Rural Water Supply Implementation under India’s Jal Jeevan Mission. Asian Journal of Geological Research, 9(1), 149–172. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajoger/2026/v9i1233 [2] Kulkarni, H., Shah, M., & Shankar, P. (2015). Shaping the contours of groundwater governance in India. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 4, 172-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2014.11.004. [3] Shaikh, M. A., & Birajdar, F. (2025). The Dual Hydrological Impact of Celebrity-driven Water Conservation Initiatives in the Deccan Basaltic Terrain of Solapur District, Maharashtra: A Critical Analysis. Asian Journal of Geographical Research, 8(4), 224–237. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajgr/2025/v8i4331 [4] Shaikh, M.A. & Birajdar, F. (2025). Economic Impacts of Collective Farming and Groundwater Management in Drought-Prone Regions: A Solapur Case Study. International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering Management & Applied Science. 14(9), 830-841. https://doi.org/10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2025.1409000097 [5] Shaikh, M.A. & Birajdar, F. (2025). Site Selection to Community Handover: Effective Recharge Shaft Development for Rural Water Security in Shetphal, Maharashtra. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Applied Science. 10(9), https://doi.org/10.51584/IJRIAS.2025.100900030. [6] Shaikh, M.A. & Birajdar, F. (2025). Seismo-acoustic Coupling in Microseismic Events: Evidence from the Deccan Volcanic Province, Maharashtra, India. International Journal of Geography, Geology and Environment 2025; 7(10): 07-16. [7] Shaikh, M.A. & Birajdar, F. (2025). Policy Innovations for Sustainable Aggregates: Maharashtra's M-Sand Strategy in a Global Context. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation. 12(8), https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2025.120800152. [8] Shaikh, M.A. & Birajdar, F. (2025). Unveiling Social Barriers to Water Scarcity Adaptation in Solapur's Deccan Basaltic Terrain: A Grounded Theory Approach. International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science. Volume:07. Issue:06. 2363-2374 DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56726/IRJMETS79575 [9] Shaikh, M.A. & Birajdar, F. (2025). Smart Watersheds, Smarter Governance: A Unified AI-GIS-IoT Framework for Climate-Resilient Maharashtra. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology. IJISRT25JUN376, 213-224. DOI: 10.38124/ijisrt/25jun376. https://www.ijisrt.com/smart-watersheds-smarter-governance-a-unified-aigisiot-framework-for-climateresilient-maharashtra [10] Shaikh, M.A. & Birajdar, F. (2025). Advancing Groundwater Resource Management through Artificial Intelligence: Future Directions for GSDA Solapur. International Scientific Journal of Engineering and Management. Volume: 04 Issue: 05 . 1-10 DOI: 10.55041/ISJEM03791.
Publication Date
5/10/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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