The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri mountains, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a well-known biodiversity hotspot. This mountain chain is a major watershed of numerous rivers of peninsular India. As far as Maharashtra is concerned rivers like Godavari, Krishna, and Bhima originate in this Sahyadri mountain. The main development focus is on these east-flowing rivers as they are bigger in catchments and length than the west-flowing
rivers in the mountain and are the lifeline of city people in all southern states in India including Maharashtra. The west-flowing rivers are small and hence mostly neglected in the development process. This has had a positive impact so far on these rivers and their ecosystem. These rivers still hold the natural flows and provide crucial ecological services to the local communities. However, the development has reached other ways to threaten these rivers. These rivers are now facing threats of change in land use, pollution, a lifestyle change from the local people, and a lack of awareness among them.