Nearly 75% of Maharashtra's talukas have been declared drought-affected, prompting authorities to introduce water restrictions across several districts.
Pune will suspend water supply every Thursday from October 15 to conserve reserves and help ensure availability until August 2027.
Nagpur has banned the drilling of new borewells and the deepening of existing ones to protect groundwater resources.
In Marathwada, drinking water has been prioritised over irrigation, with industries directed to reuse 30% of the water they consume.
Medium irrigation projects in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region hold just 21.12% of their capacity, compared with 76.23% during the same period last year.
Cities and districts across Maharashtra are introducing water restrictions from mid-October as the state faces worsening shortages following a deficient Southwest Monsoon.
The Maharashtra government has directed municipal corporations, municipalities and gram panchayats to impose a minimum 10 per cent cut in water supply from October 16.
The state government declared 265 of Maharashtra's 358 talukas drought-affected in September, accounting for nearly 74 per cent of the total.
Pune has announced suspension of water supply for a day every week, while Nagpur district has banned the drilling of new borewells. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, in the drought-hit Marathwada region, authorities have restricted the release of water for irrigation and directed industries to increase water reuse.
The measures are intended to conserve available water supplies as the state prepares for the dry months ahead.
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced that water supply across the city will be suspended every Thursday from October 15. The civic body said the restrictions were intended to extend the availability of existing water reserves until August 2027.
As of October 13, the Khadakwasla reservoir system, a major source of water for Pune, had 38.78 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water available, according to the figures cited by the municipal authorities. Storage during the corresponding period last year was reported to be about 95 per cent.
The PMC has also issued guidelines urging residents, businesses and public institutions to reduce water consumption. Drinking water should not be used for construction, while households have been asked to check taps, pipelines and toilet flush tanks for leaks and repair them immediately. Similar instructions have been issued for government buildings and properties owned by the municipal corporation.
Hotels, restaurants, colleges and hostels have been directed to conserve water used for bathing, washing utensils and laundry. The guidelines also encourage households to reuse greywater or wastewater from activities such as bathing and washing for gardening and cleaning wherever possible.
In Nagpur, the District Disaster Management Authority has prohibited the drilling of new borewells and tubewells, as well as the deepening of existing borewells, until further orders. The measure is intended to protect groundwater reserves and reduce pressure on drinking water sources ahead of a possible worsening of water shortages.
"The order applies throughout the urban and rural areas of the district. With immediate effect, all new borewell and tubewell drilling, as well as the deepening of existing borewells, has been prohibited until further orders," an official statement said.
The ban applies to private individuals, farmers, housing societies, builders, industries, commercial establishments, institutions, drilling contractors and machinery operators. Government agencies and departments, however, have been exempted.
The administration clarified that the order does not prohibit the continued use of existing borewells. It applies only to new drilling and the deepening of existing wells.
District authorities including collectors have directed tehsildars revenue officials, police, local government bodies and the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency to coordinate inspections and prevent unauthorised drilling.
Violations or obstruction of enforcement could lead to legal action under Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and other applicable laws, the directive said.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly known as Aurangabad, the district administration has directed authorities to maintain a buffer of at least 10 per cent of live storage in major reservoirs, giving priority to drinking water.
Water releases for irrigation have been restricted except in unavoidable circumstances. Industries have been instructed to reuse 30 per cent of the water they consume, while sewage treatment plants have been directed to operate at full capacity. The administration has also called for treated wastewater and greywater to be reused for gardening, cleaning, construction and other suitable purposes.
The agriculture department has been asked to advise farmers to cultivate less water-intensive crops during the forthcoming rabi season. Authorities have also announced measures to stop illegal water extraction from dams, rivers, wells and other water bodies. To protect drinking water supplies in rural areas, the administration will review conditions every 15 days and take over private wells for public use where necessary.
Government figures indicate a substantial decline in water storage across Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar's irrigation projects compared with the same period last year. According to the Maharashtra Water Resources Department’s storage report dated October 13, 2026, major irrigation projects in the region held 58.34 per cent of their storage capacity, compared with 97.30 per cent at the corresponding time in 2025.
This was reported to be the lowest storage level among the state's major irrigation project groupings. The situation was more severe in medium and minor irrigation projects.
Medium projects held 21.12 per cent of their capacity, compared with 76.23 per cent a year earlier. Minor projects held 15.42 per cent, down from 66.70 per cent.
The shortages are also affecting other parts of Marathwada. In Beed district, five of eight dams were reported to have no water in storage. In Dharashiv, seven of nine irrigation schemes were dry, while the Lower Terna project recorded storage of 20.21 per cent. In Nanded, six of nine projects had either no water or less than 10 per cent storage.
Outside Marathwada, Raigad district in the Konkan region recorded water storage of 41.08 per cent.