Maharashtra amends water law

IN A landmark amendment to the law governing Maharashtra’s water regulatory system, the state has placed agriculture above industry in priority for allocating water from dams. Before the amendment of the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) Act 2005, Maharashtra was the only state in the country to have given industry priority over agriculture in water allocation. All concerned have welcomed the overdue correction of priorities. The amendment also gives water allocation rights to the state Cabinet, instead of a committee of ministers chaired by the water resources minister, as intended earlier.

The amendment was moved amid intense protests from farmers’ and water rights groups. Initially, the amendment bill transferred the water allocation rights from MWRRA to the group of ministers. It was moved in the state legislative council on April 15 and passed in the wee hours of April 16. It also cancelled several farmerfriendly provisions in the Act and made all diversions of water from agriculture to non-agricultural uses made till date immune from court action.