PANAJI
Upping its game in the protracted battle over the Mhadei waters with neighbouring Karnataka, the State government has sought bids for providing consultancy services to build six dams in the river's basin.
The six dams that the Water Resources Department proposes to build are at Nirankal, Rivem, Nanora, Sonal, Matojanwada and Bolkarne (Ragada-III).
The WRD has accordingly invited request for proposal (RFP) for the purpose of providing consultancy services to take up these dam projects in Mhadei basin.
Only Public Sector Units (PSUs) of the Government of India, which have successfully completed similar work are eligible to bid, the tender document says.
The proposal to build these six dams in the Mhadei basin in the downstream section of the river within Goa's borders has been in the pipeline for a long time and gains significance in light of Goa's Achilles heels in the protracted water sharing dispute -- Karnataka's charge that Goa did nothing to harness the river waters, thus letting the abundant rain feeding the river to wastefully flow downstream into the Arabian sea.
Goa and Karnataka have been battling over the waters of Mhadei for nearly four decades and the dispute persists despite it being adjudicated by the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal which delivered an award on August 14, 2018.
The bone of contention is mainly over Karnataka being granted a share of the coveted river's waters, including diversion of 3.4 tmc out of the basin by damming it at Kalasa and Bandhura.
In the proceedings before the tribunal, Karnataka had charged Goa of doing nothing to harness the river water and letting the rain fed downstream segment of the river to wastefully flow into the Arabian Sea.
WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar had announced the State government's plans to construct these six dams about a year ago and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had made a special provision of funds for the plan in his 2023-24 budget.
