Panaji
The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has strongly opposed the Mhadei River diversion project, warning that it would cause long-term damage to Goa’s environment and water security.
At a press conference in Panaji, South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes criticised a recent report by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), calling it biased and lacking proper field verification.
He pointed to studies by institutions such as IISc, IIT Mumbai, ATREE, and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, all of which warn that the diversion could lead to saline desertification in the State.
The GPCC stressed that reducing the Mhadei’s flow would severely impact over 43% of Goa’s population that depends on the river, especially as the Mandovi is vulnerable to saline ingress.
The diversion also threatens Goa’s evergreen forests, which rely on non-monsoon flows from tributaries like Bhandura and Kalasa.
Drying out these areas would harm biodiversity and lead to increased forest fragmentation.
Wildlife sanctuaries such as the Mhadei Sanctuary in Goa and Bhimgad in Karnataka could lose vital water sources.
Marine ecosystems are also at risk.
The Mhadei carries nutrients from the Western Ghats to Goa’s coast, supporting fish and seafood stocks. A drop in water flow would disrupt this balance, affecting the livelihoods of coastal communities.
The GPCC warned that damaging the Mhadei and its source forests in the Western Ghats”one of the world’s major ecological hotspots”could trigger broader climate impacts.
Captain Fernandes called for unity across party lines and urged the Chief Minister to lead an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister to protect the Mhadei.
