Major Natural Resources-Maharashtra

The major natural resources of the state include forests, water, soil and minerals. These are the sources of economy of the state.

Forests

The area under forests is about 46,865 sq. kms which is 15.23% of the total geographical area. These forests come under the eastern region and the Sahyadri Range, while open scrub jungles are located in the plateaux. The state has five forests type as per Champion classification. These are:
1.    Southern Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests
2.    Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests
3.    Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests
4.    Southern Tropical Thorn Forests
5.    Littoral and Swamp Forests
The various materials (viz. timber, fire wood, bamboo, Tendu leaves, Gum and Hirda) found in these forests provide revenues to the state.

Water

Water is the most precious natural resource of Maharashtra. It is unevenly distributed throughout the state. It is utilized for the purpose of drinking and irrigation. During summer months a large numbers of villages face scarcity of drinking water. Agriculture largely depends on rain though other sources like tube wells, tanks are also used for this purpose.

The major rivers of the state are Tapi, the Godavari, the Bhima, the Krishna, the Wardha, and Wainganga. These rivers provide drainage system to the state. The east flowing rivers fall in to the Bay of Bengal while the west flowing to the Arabian Sea. The Godavari is the principal river of Maharashtra.

Minerals

The various mineral resources found in the state include manganese, coal, iron ore, limestone, copper, bauxite, silica sand, and common salt. These are found in the eastern districts with some deposits in the west. Districts like Bhandara, Nagpur, and Chandrapur are rich in coal deposits. The under sea oil deposits were discovered near Bombay High oil field in 1970.