Finally, more than four years after the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal passed its award back in August 2018, the Modi government on Wednesday decided to constitute the ‘Mhadei Water Management Authority’ which the tribunal has mandated. Only, it has decided to give it a different nomenclature -- Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony (PRAWAH).
Not very unexpectedly, the chief ministers of the two warring States -- Pramod Sawant and Basavraj Bommai -- have both welcomed the development, each claiming that it is in the interest of their respective States.
To be fair, Sawant is not entirely wrong to be elated. When the Centre’s approval of the Kalasa-Bhandura DPRs of Karnataka first kicked up a row here in Goa in December-January, it was his first demand with the Centre -- set up the authority to prevent rogue diversion of water by Karnataka.
On Thursday, he stretched his elation to the extent of claiming that the Union Cabinet’s decision was a manifestation that the Centre will not allow ‘injustice’ to Goa on the Mhadei issue. Not everyone is convinced, especially not the Opposition in Goa.
The acronym of the Authority ‘PRAWAH’ when pronounced as a single word means ‘flow’ and the Mhadei has indeed been in full flow, mostly with politics rather than its waters. For sure. But what we aren’t sure is whether the latest decision of the Centre to set up the Water Management Authority will actually lead to the ‘prawah’ of Mhadei or dam-n the river and only facilitate the full flow of the BJP in Goa, Karnataka and the Centre. Time will tell.
