BELAGAVI: The Mahadayi river water has become a bone of contention for the governments of Goa and Karnataka ever since a proposal was made in the state legislative assembly in 1975 on the possibility of diverting water from the Mahadayi, the lifeline of Goa, to the Malaprabha river in Karnataka, to overcome the water crisis in several areas of North Karnataka.
Even after 47 years, the Centre has been unable to resolve the Mahadayi imbroglio, though Karnataka came closer to getting the green signal to implement the Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project (a part of Mahadayi project) on several occasions in recent times.
All political parties and organisations in Goa are rallying behind the Goa government to prevent Karnataka from going ahead with the Kalasa-Banduri project, even as the Centre recently cleared the project’s revised Detailed Project Reports (DPR). It comes in the backdrop of the award by Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) on August 14, 2018, allocating 13.42 tmcft of Mahadayi water (including 3.9 tmcft under Kalasa-Banduri project) to Karnataka. Chances of the Karnataka government getting the required forest and environment approval for the project are bright, given the slight damage to be caused to the forest in the project area, as per the revised DPR.
As the Basavaraj Bommai government prepares the ground for the project, the Goa government headed by Dr Pramod Sawant a week ago appealed to the Centre to immediately withdraw approval for the revised DPR, and decided to take an all-party delegation to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Besides demanding the creation of a Mahadayi Water Management Authority, the Goa government is leaving no stone unturned to prevent the project by Karnataka.
Goa’s opposition parties, including the Congress, AAP and Goa Forward Party, have also joined forces with various organisations and environmentalists to launch an agitation against the contentious Mahadayi project, and hold a mega public rally on January 16 at Sanquelim, the home constituency of CM Sawant. The rally is being organised under the banner of a new front called ‘Save Mahadayi, Save Goa’. The Goa government is also exploring all possible legal and political measures.
VICTORY FOR 30-YEAR STRUGGLE: CM BOMMAI
Announcing that the Centre has given the nod for Karnataka’s revised DPR, CM Bommai recently declared in the legislative assembly that the government overcame several challenges. “It is the victory of a 30-year-long struggle of the farmers of North Karnataka. I will invite tenders and start work on the Kalasa-Banduri project at the earliest,’’ he stated.
Hitting out at the Goa government, Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol said, “Goa cannot prevent the Karnataka government from implementing the Kalasa-Banduri project as the MWDT has already awarded Karnataka its share of water. The Goa government should realise we are in a federal system. Since the Central government has cleared the project and notified it in the gazette, we will call for tenders in a month.”
FLOW DIVERSION TO LIFT DIVERSION
Out of the total allocation of 13.42 tmcft of Mahadayi water, 2.18 tmcft was allocated under the Banduri project and 1.72 tmcft under the Kalasa project, by the MWDT in 2018. However, these allocations are made subject to fresh preparation of DPR (as directed by the Tribunal) and on obtaining applicable clearances from the Union government under the Forest Conservation Act of 1981, Environment Protection Act of 1985, etc.
Supreme Court advocate Mohan Katarki says, “Karnataka submitted its DPR for both Banduri and Kalasa in June 2022 to the Central Water Commission (CWC). In the fresh exercise, Karnataka changed the scheme from flow diversion to lift diversion.
This change not only reduced cost by two-third, it also reduced the requirement of forest area considerably. In the case of Banduri, the forest requirement is reduced from 183 hectares to 24 hectares. For Kalasa, the forest area requirement is reduced from 166 hectares to 37 hectares.’’
On appraisal, CWC found that DPRs for both Banduri and Kalasa are acceptable. Grant of clearance by the CWC is a significant step. Karnataka has got a Gate Pass to obtain the applicable statutory clearances and implement the project in due course of time, he said.
MWDT FINAL AWARD
(Aug 14, 2018)
Karnataka’s struggle for its share of 36.55 tmcft of water, including 7.56 tmcft for drinking water, met with partial success when the MWDT awarded 13.02 tmcft to the state.
It allowed Karnataka to use 5.5 tmcft of water for drinking purpose, of which 3.90 tmcft is to be diverted to the Malaprabha basin through Kalasa nala (1.72 tmcft) and Banduri nala (2.18 tmcft), while 1.50 tmcft is for in-basin consumption in Khanapur region
MAHADAYI TIMELINE
In 1975, Guledagudda MLA BM Horakeri first proposed the Mahadayi project in the assembly,
claiming that water from the Mahadayi could be diverted to Malaprabha via Kalasa-Banduri nalas to overcome water crisis in large parts of North Karnataka, particularly Hubballi-Dharwad
In early 1980s, farmers living on the banks of Malaprabha formed a committee, headed by then Opposition leader S R Bommai, when Gundu Rao was chief minister
A massive agitation took place near Nargund and Navalgund, urging the government to implement the project; the issue turned serious in 1989, when Bommai was chief minister
Bommai Sr held talks with then Goa CM Prabhakar Rane. When both CMs were about to reach an agreement on water sharing, environmentalists in Goa raised objections, contending it would cause major damage to flora and fauna of the Western Ghats
Under pressure from Karnataka, the NDA government headed by then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee gave the green signal in 2002, but the Goa government again managed to get the project halted, citing various reasons
Basavaraj Bommai (now CM) had staged several agitations with farmers from 2002 to 2004, and also took out a 250-km padayatra from Hubballi to Kalasa in 2003
PROJECT COST
Rs 1,677 crore according to earlier DPR
Rs 1,700 crore as per revised DPR; likely to go up to Rs 2400 cr