Maharashtra begins work on Virdi dam to tap tributary of Goa's Valvanti

KERI: Though special leave petitions filed by three states are pending before the Supreme Court for hearing, Maharashtra has commenced work on the Virdi dam in Dodamarg taluka.
From Sunday morning, along with excavators, trucks, and labourers, Maharashtra officials were seen carrying out the work on the Virdi dam across the Kattika nullah, a tributary of River Valvanti. It is located in the Virdi village panchayat at Dodamarg taluka, 3.5km from Goa's borders.
The work on the Virdi dam was brought to a halt in February 2015, after the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal ordered the Government of Maharashtra to take up the work only after obtaining the necessary environmental and other statutory clearances.
In 2006, Maharashtra first proposed the dam at a location just 500m away from Goa's border. Goa agreed in principle to the proposal on the condition that the water be utilised within the Mhadei basin and additional water be diverted to the Anjunem dam of Goa.
However, later, without informing Goa, Maharashtra changed the dam's location and began the work. The project aims to divert water from the Mhadei basin to the Tillari basin.
The dam has a live storage of over 14Mcum.
In March 2018, a team of Goa's WRD (water resources department) officials visited Virdi, collected information on the preparations for the work by Maharashtra, and submitted the report to the Goa government.
Accordingly, the Goa government raised objections before the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal.
On August 14, 2018, the tribunal gave the final award and allocated Maharashtra 1.33 tmc ft water for in-basin use.
However, Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka have filed special leave petitions before the Supreme court for the enhancement of water share, and the matter is pending.
Siddhesh Gawas, from Shiroli, Sattari, who visited Virdi on Sunday morning, told TOI, "When I visited the site, work on the dam had commenced with the help of machinery." He added, "Trees have been cleared from the Kattika nullah, and vegetation is lying near the excavated tunnel - cleared and burnt. After a period of almost seven years, the Virdi dam work has resumed."
An official of the construction company from Hubballi involved in the work said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, "We are carrying out the unfinished work of the dam, as per the directives of the executive engineer of water resources of Oros in Sindhudurg."