First of all rain water we receive is in sufficient quantity.Our total need is 15% of the rain fall and if we are experiencing the shortage,it could be 1%.So,let us make storing arrangements by cleaning our rivers,by not allowing industries and municipalities to drain their sewerages.Let us rejuvenate all the filled up wells including in Mumbai.Thirdly dig bore wells in every housing society and send rain water into it.Start using bore well water for toilets.that saves 35% water bill of the society.

Inspite of this if sea water is to be desalined.do it where sea shore is there like Mumbai,Thane,Ratnagiri,Raigad,Sindhydurga districts.Use it in the closed by area and use the water saved there in the nearby water shortage areas.For example,water saved in Mumbai and Thane district can be used in nearby Nasik district.One need not desline water in Mumbai and send all the way to Gadchiroli.

Thirdly storage of sea water in Seas is 97.6% of total warer and you are goint to take hardly 0.5 to 1% of it for desalination.That would not affect the marine life at all.

A.P.Deshpande

महाराष्टाच्या ग्रामिण भागासाठी खालील मुद्दे लक्षात घ्यावेत.
1) प्रत्येक शेतकर्याने आपल्या शेताच्या 10 टक्के भागात उताराच्या बाजूला एक शेततळे करुन त्यात पावसाचे पाणी साठविल्यास त्या शेतकर्याला पावसावर अवलंबून राहावे लागत नाही.तो शेतात वर्षातून दोन ते तीन वेळा पिके घेऊ शकतो आणि तरीही पुढच्या वर्षीच्या पावसाळ्यापूर्वी त्याच्या शेतात साठवलेल्या एकूण पाण्यातील 25 टक्के पाणी शिल्लक राहते असा अनुभव आहे.
शेतीला पाणी देतानाही ठिबक सिंचन आणि तुषार सिंचन पध्द्तीचा वापर केल्यास शेतीला एकूण पाणी कमी लागते.
2) गावागावात जरी ग्रामपंचायतीने पाणी नळाने पुरविले असले तरी सर्व विहिरींचे पुंन्रुरुज्जीवन करुन त्या वापरात आणाव्यात.
3) ग्राम पंचायतीने गावातील सगळे सांडपाणी जर नदीत सोडून नदी प्रदुषित केली असेल तर ते थांबवून ते पाणी वापरात आणावे.
4) गावात आणखी तळी निर्माण करुन पाणी साठवावे.
5) पाणी काटकसरीने वापरावे.

अ.पां.देशपांडे

May I add to Mr.A P Deshpande-

Dams are  constucted across the river banks.How about  along the banks ?
Height of such dams may be little lower than avarage flood level.Lenth and width  may be any thing suitable to local conditions and requiremets.

These 'dams ' are nothing but big water surge tanks along the bank,which would get filled up due to flood during rainy season.Such dams will not creat obstacles to normal flow of the stream of the river.Water may be pumped or tapped with taping arrengement at lower level of the walls.

This may proove an econoical design to 'save'flood water. Villegers on either banks may construct such dams by their own contribution.

In Maharashtra,hardly any rivers spate even during Monsoon.Expences incurred in constructing tanks along the banks of river is not cost effective.To make more water available,clean all rivers,prevent municipalities and industries to relese their drains in rivers.Reuse all the wells that we have filled up.We have enough water by way of rains.Once we started getting water by taps,we have forgotten that once we were fetching water from rivers and wells.