A directive from the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal urging the three warring states “ Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, to settle the problem like good neighbours and in the spirit of brotherhood, caught everyone by surprise. The State legal team informed the Tribunal that Goa was not averse to holding talks and Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar echoed this feeling. The question is can talks really resolve this issue?
The three states held series of talks for a decade before the matter reached the Tribunal for arbitration. In the meanwhile, Karnataka continued to build canals and dams to implement its plan to divert 7.56 TMC of water. Maharashtra also went ahead with plans to build a dam and Goa watched helplessly while its bigger neighbours started implementing their agenda. The matter is halfway through before the Tribunal and one wonders if talks, at this stage, will serve any purpose.
On the face of it, all three parties to the dispute have shown the willingness to talk, but all know that this will lead nowhere because the stands taken by Maharashtra and Karnataka is that they be allowed to draw their share of water from the Mhadei, while Goa is averse to sharing even a drop. Where is the meeting ground, then? There is no grey area which gives the three states room for manoeuvre.
If all three states had agreed on the common principle that water flowing in the Mhadei should be shared then the dispute would hover around the quantum of water to be shared and talks would have made sense. But with Goa saying ‘no’ to sharing and Karnataka and Maharashtra taking an opposite view there really is nothing to talk about. Parsekar and chief ministers before him have been very clear that they would not compromise the interests of the State, which means diversion of water would not be allowed.
The Tribunal is the last port of call for inter-state water disputes and there is no precedent where States have amicably sorted out their differences. This is not possible on account of the complex nature of water-sharing and the fact that no state government wants to be on the wrong side of farmers or electorate. Like it or not, but it is the nature of democracy, wherein governments are dependent of votes, that precludes a negotiated approach. The best way out for every State is to allow a Tribunal to take the final decision because it is easier to explain to the people.
For the BJP government in Goa, however, the decision of the Tribunal could not have come at a more appropriate time. Even though it is not clear as to when the final order will be delivered, the State government would prefer if it comes after elections are held next year. And talks between the three states could drag on till well after the Assembly polls. In that sense, the order suits the Parsekar government more.
