MAHADAYI RIVER WATER DISPUTE

Description

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Context

Karnataka’s decision to go ahead with a water diversion project on river Mahadayi has escalated its long-standing dispute on the issue with neighbouring Goa.

Mahadayi River

The Mahadayi/Mandovi Riveris described as the lifeline of the Indian state of Goa. The Mandovi and the Zuari are the two primary rivers in the state of Goa. Mandovi joins with the Zuari at a common creek at Cabo Aguada, forming the Mormugao

Panaji, the state capital and Old Goa, the former capital of Goa, are both situated on the left bank of the Mandovi.

River course

The river has a total length of 81 kilometres (50 miles); 35 kilometres in Karnataka, 1 kilometre in Maharashtra and 45 kilometres in Goa.
It originates from a cluster of 30 springs at Bhimgad in the Western Ghats in the Belagavi district of Karnataka.
The river has total 2,032 km2 catchment area of which 1,580 km2, 375 km2 and 77 km2 catchment area are in Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively.
The tributaries of Mandovi or Mhadei include Nerul River, St Inez Creek, Rio de Ourém, Mapusa River, Valvanti River, Udnai River, Dudhsagar River, Ragada River and Kotrachi Nadi.

The Dispute and its background

The dispute over Mahadayi river began in the 80s and grew stronger in the subsequent decades. The trigger was Karnataka’s move to design a number of dams, canals and barrages to route the Mahadayi river water to the Malaprabha basin. The state claimed that channelling the river water into the basin of Malaprabha, a tributary of the Krishna, would meet the requirements of water-scarce districts of Bagalkot, Gadag, Dharwad and Belagavi.
Goa, seeking redressal to the dispute in 2002, sought the constitution of a water disputes tribunal. The state also moved the apex court in 2006 with its demand. After sustained efforts by the Goan government, the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal was set up on November 16, 2010.
Goa contends that its population is dependent on the river’s natural path and any move to divert it would affect its fragile ecosystem. It claimed that the ingress of saltwater in the river, which is dependent on monsoons, will ultimately end up killing the state’s mangroves and green belt, disturb the relationship between the people and the land, as well as the ecological balance.
The dispute is also around the amount of water that Goa receives. Karnataka claims that the surplus from Mahadayi drains into the sea and that it should be diverted into the deficit basin in Malaprabha to meet the state’s drinking, irrigation, agriculture and power generation needs. Goa has, meanwhile, denied Karnataka’s claims saying it is a water deficient state and limiting the water supply would adversely impact its agriculture production.

The Tribunals and SC’s take on this

In August 2018, Mahadayi Water Tribunal verdict permitted Goa to use 24 tmcft (excluding the 9.395 tmcft prevailing uses), Karnataka to use 5.4 tmcft (including 3.9 tmcft for export outside the basin) and Maharashtra to use 1.33 tmcft for consumptive purposes. The tribunal assessed the water generated in the river catchment area of Karnataka and Maharashtra as 32.11 tmcft and 7.21 tmcft respectively at 75% dependability.
The tribunal has apportioned only 40.125 tmcft of Mandovi river water for consumptive uses among the three riparian states. Karnataka approached the Supreme Court alleging injustice is done in allocation of water to the state.
Central government issued a gazette notification on 27 February 2020 permitting the Karnataka state to draw 13.42 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi river out of which 8 tmcft is for power generation.
But Supreme Court stayed the construction of dams and canals by Karnataka on the Mahadayi because Goa, has expressed reservations claiming Karnataka may stock excess water in its reservoirs so that it can be used for irrigation in other parts of the state.

Recent Development

On December 30, 2022, Karnataka said that the government had received clearance from the Centre for two Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on the Kalasa-Banduri Nala on the Mahadayi.
Goa immediately protested announcing on January 2 that it would take an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet other Union ministers to block the project.
Karnataka has announced that tenders for the project would be floated soon and work begin within a month.

What is the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project?

The Kalasa Banduri Nala project aims to divert water from Mahadayi to satisfy the drinking water needs of Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gadag districts.
Though the project was first proposed in the early 1980s, it has remained on paper owing to a dispute between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. As per plans, barrages are to be built against Kalasa and Banduri streams — tributaries of Mahadayi — and water diverted towards Karnataka’s parched districts.