Water Stewardship and Water Budgeting: A Pathway to manage the water available in a time of growing water scarcity in rainfed Maharashtra

The state is facing repeated droughts in many regions, resulting in crop loss and failure, despite substantial water harvesting interventions (supply side). The drastic depletion of groundwater is resulting in an increase in the number of villages dependent on tankers for drinking water and livestock needs. In this policy brief, we recommend that a Water Stewardship” approach and Water Budgeting process which promotes the sustainable use and management of water, needs to be incorporated into existing soil and water conservation programs, such as JSY, IWMP, NRM, as well as initiatives that focus on water literacy.