If the projects planned by the Karnataka government materialise, the state’s water situation will worsen
The dispute over Mhadei river between Goa and Karnataka, which began some 30 years ago with the latter planning to divert and dam the river, recently resurfaced with the Central Water Commission (CWC) approving the detailed project report (DPR) of Karnataka. The dispute between the neighbouring states erupted again after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the CWC had approved the state’s DPR to divert 1.72 TMC of water from Kalasa dam and 2.18 TMC from Bhandura dam.
The Mhadei or Mahadayi (great mother) river, which originates in the Western Ghats’ Degaon village in Khanapur taluka of Karnataka, is an inter-state river and passes through Maharashtra and Goa. Flowing westward, the river enters Goa from Bondir in Sattari taluka. It passes through six talukas – Sattari, Sanguem, Bicholim, Tiswadi, Ponda and Bardez – and has a catchment area of around 1,580 sq km in Goa, almost half the state’s geographical area. The river, also known as the Mandovi, is one of the most important among the state’s 11 main rivers.
Karnataka, by claiming a drinking water shortage in its cities, is planning a number of dams, canals and barrages to route Mhadei water to the Malaprabha basin. By channelling water into the basin of the Malaprabha, a tributary of the Krishna, the government claims it would be able to meet the requirements of the water-scarce districts of Bagalkote, Gadag, Dharwad and Belagavi. If the move materialises, it would cause a colossal loss to Goa, depriving the people of water for drinking, agriculture and other purposes and could spell disaster for its biodiversity, causing an ecological imbalance.
Karnataka should first address the question of why the Malaprabha basin is going dry. Indiscriminate felling of trees in the region is one of the main reasons for this situation. If the present pattern of water exploitation continues in the Malaprabha basin, no matter how much water is brought in, the situation is likely to repeat in the years to come.
The Kalasa-Bhandura project is only the first in the series of dams Karnataka is planning to build. There has been strong opposition from Goa to the Kalasa-Bhandura dam near Kankumbi in Karnataka with environmental activists speaking out against diversion of Mhadei water into the Malaprabha.
Karnataka started work on the Kalasa canal several years ago without even obtaining the necessary permissions. The canal excavation work, which began in 2006, poses a serious threat to the temple at Kankumbi, which is associated with the Mauli Devi Jatra that is held every 12 years. Lakhs of devotees from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka throng the temple for blessings. This time, the jatra was held after 14 years, as a result of the shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, between February 8 and 12. Not only has the temple developed cracks due to the canal work, the villagers are also put to much hardships as their cultivable land has been destroyed.
The government of India constituted a three-member Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal in 2010 to adjudicate the dispute over river water allocation between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra. The tribunal, through a verdict on August 14, 2018, ordered that Karnataka would get 13.42 thousand million cubic feet of water, while Goa and Maharashtra would be allowed 24 TMC and 1.33 TMC respectively. Karnataka had demanded 36.71 TMC but the tribunal said equitable distribution of water among the three States was neither necessary nor feasible at this stage. The states sought clarifications from the tribunal under Section 5(3) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, and filed appeals before the Supreme Court as they were not satisfied with the verdict.
The construction of dams could spell havoc as the possibility of earthquakes cannot be ruled out. Earthquakes are largely caused by natural factors but some are man-made. Man-made earthquakes can be classified in two categories: those that are caused by nuclear explosions and those caused by reservoir-induced seismicity (RIS). RIS is a result of accumulation of water in large dams. The Koyna earthquake of Maharashtra of 1967 is an example of RIS as the dam was constructed in a non-seismic area. Other examples of quakes caused by the construction of artificial reservoirs are the 1966 incident at Kremasta, Greece, at the Kariba dam, Rhodesia, in 2020 and the Monteynard reservoir in the French Alps in 1962-1963.
The diversion and damming of the very lifeline of Goa will affect the state in a big way. It is estimated that this project will submerge a vast area estimated at 3,000 hectares, most of it thickly forested. Once these forests are destroyed, it will lead to a drastic change in ecology, reducing rainfall, ruining forests and wildlife, and the natural wealth which the area has. Goa is already a water deficient state, and the situation will worsen after the projects materialise, affecting internal waterways too. Vast biodiversity will be destroyed, causing ecological imbalance and a colossal loss to Goa. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the Mhadei dam project will only bring death and destruction to Goa.