PANAJI: Though the exact amount of yield of the Mhadei water basin has yet to be ascertained, Goa has claimed that its requirements by the year 2050 is 94.35 TMC, which is still 50 TMC less than what is available in the river.
The quantum of water sought by Maharashtra and Karnataka together is 30 TMC which would still leave Goa with a surplus of 20 TMC.
Despite the minimal requirement, Goa is still hell bent on having no additional water diverted to either neighbour.
According to a master plan prepared by the Goa state government through a panel of experts estimated the water requirements by the year 2050 AD to be 94.35 TMC, a figure that still fits into the present lower estimate of 145 TMC. Based on this estimation, domestic water supplies through Opa and Sanquelim would increase to 7.35 TMC and irrigation would amount to 72.4 TMC.
One of the pillars on which the Goa case rests is preservation of ecology, forests, flora and fauna. However, in its list of requirement it allocates only 1.74 TMC for forest management.
Today, the demand in Goa for portable water is more than 140 Million Liters per Day (MLD) that covers more than 4.5 lakh population, which is equivalent to 1.8 TMC for the whole year. Measures are however implemented during summer by augmenting the River Khandepar. The state has therefore submitted that the diverting water would further aggravate the drinking water shortage at Opa water works. During monsoons, they say the treatment process at the plant slows down due to turbidity.
Goa is also limited in its ability to build dams and power plants of their own owing to the topography and concentration of habitation. Opa currently consists of four water treatment plants with a cumulative water treatment capacity of 115 MLD. Keeping in mind the increase in requirement for the future, the state has planned setting up a 27 MLD plant at Opa and another 25 MLD on Mhadei at Ganjem.
Karnataka had asked for 7.56 TMC as drinking water for the Hubli- Dharward area, but according to Goa, the supply rate for a population of 7,86,195 is 200 litres per capita per day equating to 2 TMC. By this calculation Goa, with a population of 15 lakh would require 4 TMC. (1 TMC is equal to 28 billion litres. MLD is million litres per day).
Goa also plays host to five million tourists and if their requirement is also pegged at 200 litres per day and their duration of stay is taken as 10 days, then the total amount works out to 0.4 TMC.
“A major part of the need is already met from the existing supply. NWDA (national Water Development Authority) has already assessed Malaprabha as a later surplus sub basin even after taking into account and allowing for the long term development of increased irrigation and increases in population (up to 2025 AD) and domestic water supply which includes Hubli “ Dharwad,” claim Goa pointing fingers at Karnataka as creating an artificial scarcity of drinking water and instead use the water for irrigating water guzzling sugar cane fields.
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WATER NEEDS
* At 200 litres per capita per day the supply rate for Hubli-Dharwad which has a population of 7,86,195 works out to 2 TMC. (This calculation is made by Goa)
* Similarly, for Goa which has a population of 15 lakh, the requirement per year is 4 TMC approximately.
* Goa also plays host to five million tourists and if their requirement is also pegged at 200 litres per day and their duration of stay is taken as 10 days, then the total amount works out to 0.4 TMC.
(1 TMC is equal to 28 billion litres. MLD is million litres per day. 1000 million make a billion)
