PANAJI
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting up of ‘Mhadei Water Management Authority’ mandated in the notified August 2014 award of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) but gave it a different nomenclature ‘Mahadayi PRAWAH’.
PRAWAH is an acronym for Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony, and will be tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the MWDT award is implemented as per its letter and spirit.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced the decision in a tweet which read: “PM Sh. @narendramodi led cabinet today has approved the creation of Mahadayi PRAWAH. This will enable the compliance, implementation of the award & decisions of Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal.”
In yet another tweet, Shekawat also said that ‘Mahadayi PRAWAH” will also aid in building mutual trust & understanding among party states -- Goa, Karnataka & Maharashtra -- and ensure right use of water resources of the region for overall development.
While the Union cabinet decision to set up ‘Mahadayi PRAWAH’ is an expected corollary to the MWDT award of August 14, 2018, its timing ahead of the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections is expected to stir the political cauldron in that State as well as here in Goa.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, meanwhile, took to Twitter to welcome the decision and thanked Modi for the decision.
“I thank the Union Government led by Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji for approving the establishment of the PRAWAH (Mhadei Water Authority) in today’s Cabinet meeting. This has been one of our primary demands and we wholeheartedly welcome the decision,” Sawant said in a tweet.
In yet another tweet, Sawant said the establishment of the authority will help in preventing “illegal diversion” of water.
“It also reaffirms the fact that Union government will not allow any injustice on Goa,” Sawant added.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, also hailed the decision and has been quoted as saying that it would pave the way for implementing his government’s projects.
The MWDT had passed the award on August 14, 2018 in which it permitted use of 13.46 tmc feet of Mhadei’s water by Karnataka, including 3.9 tmc feet for diversion to the Malaprabha basin, through mini-dams at Kalasa and Bhandura.
The MWDT award has been challenged by all the three riparian States -- Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra -- before the Supreme Court of India but a recent approval granted by the Central Water Commission to Karnataka’s DPRs at Kalasa and Bhandura had kicked up a row here in Goa.
It led to the Goa government filing an interlocutory application before the Apex Court which has now fixed it for hearing in July.
