PANAJI
Structures for lifting water are no temporary business. Even though Karnataka claimed them to be temporary in nature, the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal turned down Karnataka s plea that use of heavy machinery and building bundhs cannot be temporary. In the battle for lifting 7 TMC water from the Mhadei basin, Karnataka had through its interlocutory application assured that it would construct temporary structures to transfer the water. The tribunal, however, shot down Karnataka s plan questioning how the structures could be temporary if heavy machinery was used and bundhs were constructed. Goa, in its submission too pointed that, to carry out such a massive project by constructing ducts and canals, underground tunnels by changing the topography, landscaping and cutting down trees could not be temporary.A preliminary report filed by Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited titled “Temporary Lifting of 7 TMC of Water from Mhadei Basin to Malaprabha Basin” however, didn t give details of the huge constructions, installations of huge pumps that would be mandatory to lift water. Any lifting of water from the basin would require heavy machinery as well as constructions and installation of huge pumps. This according to the Tribunal was far from temporary and that lifting water without any permanent structures was impossible. In its 120 page order, the tribunal said, “if 7 TMC of water is permitted to be lifted or pumped, it would necessarily require a deep concrete volute for installing heavy duty pumps and also require sumps or bundhs to be constructed, from which later on, the water can be transferred through huge pipes to the tributaries of Malaprabha basin. But because the amount was a huge one, permission was denied further asking how building a bundh would be considered temporary. .” Any bundh construction across the river would invariably result in storage of water, held the tribunal. Considerable construction of permanent nature would be required, it said. Karnataka tried yet another argument where it said it would use only removable and temporary water pumps that could be taken away after the monsoons. The tribunal, however, turned it down simply saying that “such argument does not inspire the confidence of this tribunal.”
