SUSTAINABILITY – A WAY OF LIFE IN SHIRPUR, MAHARASHTRA, INDIAPapiya Deb, Shweta Chitnis and M.N. WellingAbstract Shirpur taluka of Nasik division in Maharashtra is in draught prone area. This area suffered from water shortage before 2018. The present study was conducted to comprehend the current sustainable development in this area and revealed a typical geographical condition of that region. Lateral and vertical percolation of water through the yellow silt layers in the aquifers was scarce prior to the completion of the projectAngioplasty of water in 2018. The soil had an effective porosity to the tune of 2.5 to 3%, yet the aquifers were hardly saturated. The dug wells and bore wells in Deccan Basalt hardly yielded water till December. Water was scarcely available after December for drinking and irrigation. Only Kharif crop was possible. Scarcity of water impacted surface water reserves. More burden was experienced on ground water level. Groundwater beingan important renewable resource requires to be refilled every year by rainfall and through water dripped during irrigation. The structure of rocks, geo-morphological, hydrogeological as also hydrometeorological conditions govern the pore water levels. Suitable measures were needed to augment groundwater resources to make existing groundwater structures sustainable.âAngioplasty of waterâ was implemented to solve water problems. Sustainable use of water was possible in draught prone areas after this project was completed. Industrial and agricultural development followed after this project. Composite Index of Development (CID) as also the levels of development in Shirpur improved considerably as compared to other areas in Dhule district. |