Context: Recently, Union Minister of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has said that Maharashtra's 'Buldhana Pattern' of water conservation' has won national recognition and the NITI Aayog is in the process of formulating National Policy on water conversation based on it.
‘Buldhana Pattern’

• It is based on the synchronization of national highway construction and water conservation.
• It was achieved for the first time in Buldana district of drought-prone Vidarbha region, by using soil from the water bodies, nallas and rivers.
• This consequently leads to the increase in capacity of water storage across the water-bodies in Buldana district and it came to be known as ‘Buldana Pattern’.
• Creation of State Water Grid and adopting water Conservations works under this pattern will increase the agriculture production and bring prosperity in farmer’s economic life in Vidarbha.

How will it be formed?

• The State Water Grid will be formed on the lines of the National Power Grid and Highway Grid.
• The idea is to divert the flood water from one river basin to the other river basin in the drought prone area of the state.
• The areas with shortage of the water, scanty rainfall can get relief by the Grid.

Benefits of state water grid

• Help the government to ensure the availability of the water in drought prone areas and save the resources to manage the flood crisis.
• This would also help to increase the area under irrigation, while bringing significant reduction in the numbers of suicides of farmers.
• This would also help to increase agriculture produce and strengthen the rural and national economy.
• The diverted flood waters would relieve the stress on the local resources. Transportation of goods and passengers through rivers (Water Transport) can be commenced in near future.
• Fishing and other businesses can flourish alongside and major employment can be generated if such project is taken up as an essential infrastructure.

Need for such measures

• Floods create and trigger serious problems in different parts of the state and therefore there is an urgent need to chalk out a plan to manage this natural disaster that becomes grave because of other man made factors.

Additional Information
Tamswada Pattern

• Under this, water conservation projects were taken up in Nagpur and Wardha district of Maharashtra in which rain water harvesting, conservation and groundwater recharge works were done in order to increase the water storage capacity of natural water bodies.