Maharashtra Unveils India’s First ‘Water 7/12’ System to Track Every Drop Maharashtra is set to become the first state in India to implement a groundbreaking “Water 7/12” system, a comprehensive initiative designed to scientifically record, audit, and regulate water usage. The system, modeled after the traditional land record document known as the Saatbara (7/12) land extract, aims to create structured records of water availability, usage, inflow, outflow, and balance at the gram panchayat and watershed levels. The proposal was reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule at Mantralaya on Monday, following directives from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The meeting brought together senior officials from the revenue, rural development, water conservation, and water supply departments to discuss the framework’s implementation. The initiative seeks to address the long-standing absence of a structured water accounting system in the state. While Maharashtra already maintains an extensive land documentation system through the 7/12 extract, officials noted that no parallel mechanism exists for systematically documenting and monitoring water resources. This gap has made it difficult to regulate consumption, enforce accountability, or accurately assess local water stress. The proposed system will initially be piloted in selected regions before a broader rollout across the state. The concept of a “Water Audit” and “Water Balance Sheet” was developed by AqVerium in collaboration with IIT Bombay water expert Avinash Kadam and economist Uday Nair. The framework outlines an annual classification and auditing process in three stages to generate transparent, data-driven assessments of local water reserves.#maharashtra #iit_bombay #devendra_fadnavis #chandrashekhar_bawankule #aqverium
