Workshop on Irrigation Sector Improvements in Maharashtra

Mumbai, July 26, 2019 : A Workshop was conducted on Irrigation Sector Improvements in Maharashtra on 26 July 2019 at the Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai. The workshop was organized by the Water Resources Department (WRD), Government of Maharashtra (GoM), the World Bank and 2030 Water Resources Group (WRG). Hon’able Chief Secretary, Shri Ajoy Mehta, IAS delivered the keynote address to the gathering. The workshop was attended by delegates and representatives from the public sector, private sector and civil societies.

Senior functionaries from the Govt. of Maharashtra from the Water Resources Dept, MWRRA, and senior officials from the World Bank and 2030 WRG presented an overview of the irrigation sector in Maharashtra, and evolution of the regulatory landscape in water, the need for public private participation and need for improving the timeliness and efficiency of the existing subsidy driven models and also new innovative ways of private sector financing.

Shri KP Bakshi, IAS (Retd.), Chairman, Maharashtra Water Resource Regulatory Authority emphasized the efforts required to accelerate technology adoption, to create strong delivery systems and to leverage the global expertise of the World Bank to address these challenges. Mr. IJsbrand H de Jong, Lead Water Resource Specialist of the Water Global Practice, World Bank presented opportunities for the private sector to be more involved in the irrigation sector and showcased examples of models that have been successful in other countries such and Morocco and France.

The workshop included panel discussions on ‘Financing Gaps and Maximising Financing through the Private sector’ and ‘Promoting Water use efficiency in water for Agriculture’. The panelists deliberated the opportunity for pubic and private finance to be collectively deployed and the need to incentivize farmers, suppliers and operators to accelerate the adoption of new technologies. 

Hon’able Chief Secretary, Shri Ajoy Mehta, IAS urged the participants to be innovative in their approach to efficient use of water in irrigation, and emphasized the need to revaluate the fundamentals on how the water sector is understood and managed including water pricing, water usage and water recycling and reuse. He stressed the need for appropriate pricing for water for different uses to optimize the use of natural resources for economic growth while protecting the economically weaker sections and the environment.

The workshop concluded with a call to action on increasing public private participation in improving irrigation efficiencies and innovative financing mechanisms for sustainable and scalable growth of the irrigation sector in the state.