the goan I network
PANAJI
Even as the tussle between Goa and Karnataka over the Mhadei dispute took a new twist with the recent nod from the Ministry of Environment and Forests to the Kalsa-Bandura water project, the Water Resource Department officials of the neighbouring State were apparently confident from the start that they would get forest clearance for the project in 499 Ha of forest land including the eco-sensitive zone of Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The project involves diversion of 499.13 Ha of forest land (Haltara diversion dam and Kalsa diversion dam 256.62 Ha and Bhandura diversion dam 242.51 Ha) for which necessary forest clearance will be obtained. The part of this project area falls within the ecosensitive zone of Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary”, said a letter of the Chief Engineer of Malaprabha Project Zone Dharwad of April 2019 written to the Director and Member Secretary, River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects and Climate Change.
Getting a forest clearance in ecosensitive zone is an extremely difficult proposition and this letter from the Chief Engineer of Malaprabha Project Zone Dharwad indicates that Karnataka was all along confident they will get forest clearances.
The Kalsa-Bhandura drinking water supply project, work on which has been carried out by Karnataka government on a war footing is being opposed by environmentalists in Goa who fear that water diversion from Haltara, Kalasa Nala and Bhandura Nala will have far reaching impact on the rich Wildlife biodiversity in the Western Ghats.
Karnataka claims that the project is exclusively to provide drinking water facilities to towns such as Hubli, Dharwad, Kundgol and enroute villages. The cost of the project is around Rs 840.52 crores. Sawant writes to Javadekar
PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday formally wrote to Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar and urged him to withdraw the nod granted to the Kalsa-Bandura drinking water project which involves diversion of the disputed Mhadei river waters.
In his letter Sawant has alleged that Karnataka is illegally diverting water from the Mhadei basin to the Malaprabha river even as the Mhadei Interstate Water Dispute award of 2018 is yet to be notified and operational. >> See pg 3
