Mhadei matter: Karnataka CM seeks appointment with Goa CM Sawant

PANAJI: A day after Union mines minister Pralhad Joshi advised that the chief ministers of Goa and Karnataka should arrive at a “negotiated settlement” on the Mhadei matter, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa has sought an appointment with Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant.
The chief minister’s office said that it has only received a telephone call and that it was yet to receive any official communication from the office of the Karnataka chief minister.
Both Karnataka and Goa had approached the apex court challenging the award given by the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT).
“I can only suggest at this moment that the chief ministers concerned sit and talk and resolve the issue,” Joshi had said on Monday.
The three-decade-old dispute between Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka over the sharing of Mhadei’s water ended on August 14, 2018. MWDT rejected Karnataka’s demand for 36.5tmc (thousand million cubic) feet of water and allotted it 13.4tmc ft, including 3.9tmc ft for drinking through diversions against its demand for 7.5tmc ft.
The MWDT, which delivered its verdict, allowed Goa to use 24tmc ft of water for 59 identified projects in addition to current utilisation of 9.39tmc ft. The tribunal did not put any restriction on non-consumptive use or water uses that do not substantially deplete supply.
Maharashtra was allotted 1.33tmc ft of water. The total water available in the Mhadei catchment area is 188.06tmc ft.