PANAJI
The recent work taken up by neighbouring Karnataka related to the disputed Mhadei river waters is only demarcation for the purpose of formulating detailed project report (DPR) to be presented to the Tribunal, WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar said on Monday.
Shirodkar said, Goa too has taken up similar demarcation work to prepare DPRs for its own projects and claimed that a "contempt petition" will be filed before the Supreme Court if Karnataka takes up any work other than DPRs.
Shirodkar said, the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal has already rejected the DPRs of all the three States “ Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
In these DPRs all the three States had sought to harness large amounts of water as their respective share of water from the river but these were rejected and the Tribunal has asked for fresh DPRs, the minister said.
"So for the new demand, all the three States are preparing fresh DPRs for which demarcation has to be done,” Shirodkar said, adding that like Karnataka, Goa too is carrying out demarcation at atleast 8 to 10 sites in the river's basin.
He said, 8-10 sites were identified from the earlier proposed 59 sites and demarcation work has begun on them.
Recent media reports had suggested that Karnataka has commenced laying of poles to demarcate pipelines allegedly meant to lift water from the Kalasa and Haltara nullahs in the North of the State.
Meanwhile in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Bhisweswar Tudu has said that the Centre has extended the date for the Tribunal to file its further report by another year from August 20.
Tudu said in a written reply to a question raised by Luizinho Faleiro that the tribunal in its first report notified in Central Gazette in February 2020 had permitted the riparian States to undertake specific water resources development activities.
"Under clause XII of the MWDT decision, there is provision to constitute the Mahadayi Water Management Authority (MWMA) to implement the report as also the final decision of the MWDT," Tudu said adding that the MWMA's composition and functions have been specified.
The MWMA mandate includes investigation, research and conducting studies on all aspects of environmental issues, including related to impact of climate change on water resources.
It is also tasked with preparing short and long term action plans to address the issues of climate change impact on the water resources, Tudu said.
