PANAJI
After celebrating victory in October 2018 as Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal awarded 24 TMC of water to the State -- although Karnataka was still allowed diversion of 3.9 TMC, it took nearly a year for the BJP-led government in Goa to admit that the award is damaging to the tiny State.
Over a year after the Tribunal’s 2018 verdict, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant made headlines by calling Mhadei his mother. “Mhadei is more than a mother to us. We shall protect it at any cost,” Sawant said as the State government woke up to a shocking Environment Clearance granted to Karnataka in October 2019.
Cornered by the Opposition, which was then led by Digambar Kamat “ who defected to BJP in September 2022, Sawant resolved that “Goa shall defend the interest of the people of Goa and the State at any cost.”
Months later in February 2020, CM claimed that “Goa will fight for each drop of Mhadei” while conveying concerns to the Ministry of Environment and Forests that the State's interest is not protected.
Now that the Central government has approved Karnataka’s DRP proposal submitted last year, which came in continuation to the Tribunal's 2018 order, the government has once again woken up to make some interesting statements. Under pressure to get the DPR revoked, CM reiterated: “Goa’s fight to the hilt for each drop of Mhadei water.”
The long legal battle on the contentious Mhadei water diversion is getting murkier and ironically, the inter-state row grabs national attention in the election seasons. With Karnataka going to polls, the two BJP-ruled states are at loggerheads to clinch rights over Mhadei water.
An election issue
Activists in Goa lament that Mhadei has turned into a political issue, rather it is an election issue. With blanket approvals to the neighbouring state and Goa’s silence, until reminded about the lasting impact on its population, environmentalists demand that the government present a strong case before the Centre, the Supreme Court and every authority where the issue is discussed.
Noted environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar argued that though Mhadei originates in Karnataka, its natural flow into Goa is nearly 76 kms and less than half - 35 kms in Karnataka.
“The award was pronounced based on the calculation of the Basin area. Karnataka and Maharashtra have fewer Basin areas…. The Sattari villages are highly dependent on the water…” he said.
Kerkar recalled that the Tribunal accepted that the yield of Mhadei water is 188 TMC feet around three decades ago adding, “This calculation was too large and there were loopholes, but Goa did not take objection. This led to the order on August 14, 2018. Nevertheless, the verdict also directs Karnataka to undertake all the statutory clearances,” he stated.
The revised detailed project report was submitted by Karnataka to the Central Water Commission in July 2022, and approval granted just recently."
“This is a political gimmick. Everyone was celebrating the victory. I then informed the Goa government that we should proceed with challenging the award and ask for more water-share for Goa. Yes, a petition was filed in the same year, but the government did not pursue the matter to expedite the hearing. In the meantime, Karnataka submitted a DPR proposal to the Centre which has now been approved,” the Mhadei-bachao crusader lamented.
Former minister & one of the founders of Mhadei Bachao Abhiyan, Nirmala Sawant too echoed Kerkar’s views slamming the government for restricting it to a political fight. “This (issue) has been politicised because it is a game between 28 MPs (in Karnataka) and 2 MPs (in Goa). Goa is raising its voice with the intention to attract the other MPs during the elections. It is an open secret that Mhadei is an election issue,” she alleged.
Goa has Mhadei only,
Karnataka has 20 rivers
Nirmala Sawant, whose fight began much before the successive governments actually realised the seriousness of Mhadei water for Goa, has asked Karnataka to not snatch Goa’s only River when it already has 20 rivers flowing in its State.
“Under the guise of drinking water, you are snatching Mhadei from Goa. Forty per cent of Goa’s population is dependent on Mhadei water. There should be natural justice to the natural flow of Mhadei water into Goa. Don’t divert the natural flow and don’t take it to the protected sites where these activities are banned as per the law,” Nirmala Sawant explained asking Karnataka to stop their game plan against Goa.
Citing the plight of several thousand families in Goa, Nirmala Sawant urged the Centre to not deny justice to Goa. “They (Centre) are thinking (inclined) on the majority side (referring to Karnataka), and through this, Goa is denied justice. Don’t do injustice on smaller states at the cost of the bigger state,” Sawant said, claiming the issue is ‘politics of numbers.’]
Wildlife Protection Act
could be game-changer
With Goa failing to convince all the authorities to ensure Mhadei is not diverted, Sawant and Kerkar are still optimistic that Supreme Court’s order mandating clearances could be a game changer for Goa.
“As per the Wildlife Protection Act, you need permission for activities where there is a natural flow of water in national parks and sanctuaries. We are opposing Karnataka’s plan because the 2018 award will come up for renewal in 2048 by which time, Karnataka will not only ask for more share but also complete the present work,” he apprehended.
The Goa government will move the Supreme Court even as the Kalasa-Bhandura projects will require permission from the National Board of Wildlife, being in protected areas. The Kalasa area falls in the reserve forest notified by the Karnataka Forest Department.
The proposed damming and diversion schemes of Bhandura falls in jurisdiction of the Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary of Karnataka and needs wildlife,forest clearances before undertaking work."
“From our side, we have some hope given that the Supreme Court’s order ensures Karnataka cannot do anything in future…” Nirmala Sawant claimed. Constituting the Mhadei Water Management Authority is also to be expedited so Karnataka does not illegally divert Goa’s share of Mhadei.
NIO’s salinity study could also be a rescue element for Goa.
Environmentalists concede that if Goa is determined, it can curtail 3.9 TMC water diversion to Karnataka, to zero. Explaining to The Goan’s query on the possibility to challenge the neighbouring State’s water diversion share, Kerkar was quick to state that, “It is possible.”
“Just like human beings, wildlife also plays an important role. Goa should present important facts to the case. We have NIO and experts including former Director Dr Satish Shetye who conducted a thorough study on the salinity. These should be studied and research reports must be presented before the relevant authorities,” he added.
The Goa University’s expertise could also be roped in, provided the government and the Water Resources Department take a keen interest to support all the arguments with concrete evidence.
Karnataka has plans to
construct 12 more dams
Karnataka’s desperation for Mhadei water is visible in the fact that it is ready with plans for constructing 12 more dams in the Mhadei basin in the near future. Challenging the approved DPR hence becomes crucial.
“Karnataka is not planning only one dam. There are plans for a chain of 12 dams. Eventually, they will put up more proposals. We are not worried about 3.9 TMC of water diversion but for the upcoming plans of more dams,” Kerkar said.
