PANAJI: Goa’s Water Resources Minister, Subhash Shirodkar, revealed on Friday that the state government intends to petition the Supreme Court. The objective is to obtain permission for a joint inspection of the Kalasa Banduri river diversion project.
Shirodkar, following a meeting of a committee formed by the Goa assembly, stated that the Mahadayi PRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony), the designated body for implementing the Mahadayi River Disputes Tribunal’s award, had previously denied Goa’s request for a joint inspection. This refusal was based on the grounds that the matter was still sub-judice before the Supreme Court.
“There are some good suggestions from the members as regards the Mhadei issue — of which an important suggestion is to seek permission from the Supreme Court for a joint inspection — for which there will be members of the PRAWAH and our officers and of course from all the states involved in the dispute — the PRAWAH will be able to also offer their opinion,” Shirodkar commented, indicating that the state would file its request with the Supreme Court in November.
Goa has accused Karnataka of diverting water by altering the course of the streams, a move allegedly undertaken without the necessary approvals.
The Mhadei river, known as Mahadayi in Karnataka, originates in the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. It flows through Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra before emptying into the Arabian Sea at Panaji, Goa. The Central Government had established a tribunal to oversee the sharing of the river’s water among these three states. Both Goa and Karnataka have filed appeals in the Supreme Court challenging the tribunal’s 2018 award.
The long-standing dispute is rooted in the fundamentally opposing stances of Karnataka and Goa.
Karnataka’s plan was to divert 36.5 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of water from the river into the east-flowing Malaprabha river. However, the tribunal’s award granted permission for only 13.42 tmc ft. The Goa government, on the other hand, strongly opposed any diversion and advocated for water usage strictly within the same river basin.