Mahadayi River Water Dispute

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.

Karnataka  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.

Supreme Court of India(SCI) has, for now, stayed the construction of dams and canals by Karnataka on the Mahadayi. Karnataka claims it requires 7.56 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of water from Mahadayi to meet the requirement of farmers of North Karnataka. Goa, nonetheless, 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.

Mahadayi river rises in the Western Ghats, from the Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Khanapur taluk of Karnataka’s Belagavi district. Flowing westward, it enters Goa from Sattari taluk of North Goa districts. A number of streams join the flow of the river to form the Mandovi which is one of two major rivers that flow through Goa. It joins the Arabian Sea at Panaji.

The Mahadayi river, also spelt Mhadei or Mahadeyi, stretches 111-km. Over two-thirds of the river’s stretch lies in Goa (76km). The Mandovi is important for Goa also because it is one of the few sweet-water sources at the state’s disposal. Most of Goa’s 11 rivers contain salt water and Mandovi ensures water security as well as being an important place to source fish for the state.

Mahadayi  River Water Dispute - 10 Points

1)Mahadayi river is known as Mandovi river in Goa. The state capital Panaji is on the banks of Mandovi river. It is one of the smallest rivers in India.

2)This rain-fed river originates at Bhimghad in Belgaum district of Karnataka. It flows first 35km through Karnataka and remaining 52km through Goa before joining Arabian Sea. Bordering areas of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra depend on Mahadayi for their water needs

3)Renowned water expert the late SG Balekundri first planned Mahadayi water diversion in 1970. The plan was to feed Malaprabha river and store the water in Navilatirtha dam in Karnataka's Dharwad district. This dam, built in the 1970s, has not been filled to its capacity, except three or four times.

4) Karnataka wants a meagre 7.56 TMC feet of water from Mahadayi for its drinking water needs in Mumbai-Karnataka region. It wants to build barrages across Kalasa and Banduri two tributaries of Mahadayi. It can supply water to 180 villages and Hubli-Dharwad twin cities.

5)When S M Krishna was the Chief Minister of Karnataka he started the work in 2002. The BJP government in Goa led by CM Manohar Parrikar had objected to it.

6)The Goa government approached the SC demanding cancellation of the project citing ecological reasons.

7) After all attempts to hammer out a negotiation failed, the UPA-2 Government constituted Mahadayi Water Disputes Redressal Tribunal in 2010.After the tribunal in its interim order rejected Karnataka’s plea for diverting 7.56 TMC Feet of water, there were violent protests across Mumbai-Karnataka region.

8) Goa government claims that if Karnataka is allowed to divert the water over 700 hectares of forest will be submerged and 60,000 trees will be cut. Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is blaming PM Modi for not showing any interest in resolving the issue.

9)After the recent protests by local farmers, the BJP Karnataka president B S Yeddyurappa rushed to New Delhi seeking an immediate solution. Amit Shah had convened a meeting of Parrikar and Yeddyurappa. But nothing came out of it as Goa BJP government’s alliance partner Goa Forward Party is opposing negotiations with Karnataka.

10)Mumbai-Karnataka which is demanding Mahadayi water is BJP’s stronghold and Lingayats are in large number in this region.