PANAJI
Goa filed a three-volume “brief summary” of arguments before the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal essentially opposing Karnataka’s plans to divert water from the “water deficit” rain-fed Mhadei basin “since it would result in a complete disaster of aquatic life, marine life, and terrestrial ecology and deprive the people of Goa of
water for drinking as well as irrigation and industrial
purposes.”
The State is primarily opposed to the proposed 12 projects of Karnataka as well as Maharashtra, trans-basin diversion, the Water Resources Department said in a
statement.
The first volume contains the case and pleadings of the state of Goa, along with excerpts of the evidence on hydrology placed by Goa through its witnesses -- C M Pandit and
Sandeep Nadkarni.
The second volume contains arguments and submissions on the environmental aspect as pleaded by the state and so also the evidence placed by it through its witnesses on marine wildlife, marine ecology, environmental flows and adverse impacts to environment.
The third volume contains the specific arguments on various legal issues such as non-compliance by Karnataka to various statutory provisions, and so also a referral to the international law on river disputes and diversion of water, among others.
