PANAJI: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has strongly criticised the National Institute of Oceanography’s (NIO) recent report on the Mhadei river diversion, calling it a “biased and tabletop” exercise that fails to reflect the reality on the ground.
Addressing the media earlier today, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant claimed that the report has nothing to do with the State government. He also maintained that the report findings will not affect Goa's plea in the Supreme Court.
Speaking at a press conference in Panaji today, South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes slammed the report for lacking proper ground truthing and warned that Mhadei’s diversion would spell the ecological and environmental downfall of Goa.
Backed by GPCC president Amit Patkar and district presidents Savio D’silva and Virendra Shirodkar, Fernandes presented data from four major independent studies conducted by reputed institutes like the Indian Institute of Science, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Norwegian Institute for Water Research, and IIT Mumbai. These studies, he said, unanimously warn that diverting Mhadei’s waters would cause catastrophic damage, leading to the saline desertification of Goa.
He criticised the NIO report for being prepared solely from a hydrological perspective, ignoring critical ecological factors such as non-monsoon flows from the Kalasa and Bhandura streams that support Goa’s evergreen forests. “Goa’s rivers, especially the Mandovi, which sustains over 43% of our population, are coastal rivers with delicate natural flows. Disrupting these flows invites saline ingress, ecosystem collapse and the destruction of both marine biodiversity and human livelihoods,” Fernandes warned.
Highlighting the frequent sightings of tigers, leopards and black panthers in Goan villages, he reiterated the urgent need to declare a Tiger Reserve in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, which faces the threat of being cut off by the proposed dams in Karnataka. “These dams, planned in Category 1 Eco Sensitive Zones, not only violate ecological norms but also endanger vital forest corridors that regulate climate, store carbon and bring rain to peninsular India,” he said.
Fernandes questioned the rationale behind Karnataka’s diversion plan, blaming it on unsustainable agricultural practices and water-guzzling industries. “Is it fair to sacrifice Goa’s ecosystem to meet the demands of sugarcane farming and soft drink companies in Karnataka? Shouldn’t Karnataka focus instead on rejuvenating its own water bodies for a sustainable future?” he asked.
Urging collective action to save Mhadei, Fernandes called upon all Goans, regardless of political affiliation, to unite in pressuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi for intervention. “The Goa government has failed to act. It’s time for all 40 MLAs and all three MPs to come together and march to Delhi to demand justice for Mhadei,” he said.
