BELAGAVI: While the Union Government is expected to reconstitute the Mahadayi Progressive River Authority for Water and Harmony (PRAWAH) and appoint a new chairman, it has come to light that the Goa government is keen on getting an inspection of the Mahadayi basin done by the outgoing chairman PM Scott.
However, informed sources said the Goa government’s tripartite proposal for an inspection of the basin is unlikely given the Centre’s ongoing process for the reconstitution of PRAWAH.
In a desperate attempt, sources said, the Goa government has decided to send a reminder to the incumbent chairman Scott requesting him to call for a meeting and also hold the inspection before the committee is dissolved.
Before the end of the chairman’s term by the end of June, the Goa government wants a meeting of the committee to be held, at least.
It may be noted that the Jal Shakti Ministry constituted Mahadayi PRAWAH to enable compliance and implementation of the final award given by the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal in 2018. The PRAWAH had its first and only meeting in February in Goa, wherein the authority was of the view to resolve the issue “amicably”.
Sources said the Goa government believes Karnataka had commenced work of deep channels at Kankumbi to allow water to flow into the conduit built in the area in March and that was why it has approached PRAWAH seeking its intervention and demanding a site inspection to ascertain, what it alleges, the violations.
On Goa’s insistence, PRAWAH in April, accepted the request for a joint inspection to study the river basin and had asked all three riparian states — Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra — to communicate the dates, as per their flexibility, to conduct the inspection.
Sources further added that Goa had also proposed the dates for inspection in April. However, the Goa government did not receive any communication from PRAWAH thereafter.