"It will be done under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Maharashtra will be the first state to take up such an initiative," he said.
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The Maharashtra Department of Water Supply and Sanitation will embark on a minute mapping plan that will cover 25 lakh groundwater resources and water conservation works amid fall in water levels and scarcity, an official said. The mapping will be carried out at a ratio of 1:10000, which means every centimetre on the map will represent 10,000 centimetres on the ground, giving a detailed assessment of such resources, he said. "It will be done under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Maharashtra will be the first state to take up such an initiative," he said.
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Emphasizing the importance of the plan, Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA) Commissioner Chintaman Joshi said around 80 per cent of irrigation and 85 per cent of supply for drinking purposes in Maharashtra was based on groundwater resources. "Moreover, micro and small-scale industries and other businesses also pump out groundwater on a large scale. This has resulted in a fall in groundwater levels and has led to water scarcity in many places," he said.
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Recognizing that the situation could get more serious in future, the mapping initiative was undertaken by Sanjeev Jaiswal, Principal Secretary, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Hrishikesh Yashod, Mission Director of State Water and Sanitation Mission, and the GSDA, the official added.
"The process of determining sustainable sources for the tap water supply scheme to be implemented under the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state is in full swing. These maps will be used to determine suitable and potential groundwater potential areas and identify sources for these tap-water supply schemes. They will also help in systematic implementation of future water conservation measures," Joshi informed. Other important tasks like fixing the location of borewells and tube wells, information related to groundwater quality and estimating groundwater quantity based on level will be provided, he said.
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