Mhadei Water Management Authority will protect Goa’s interest

PANAJI

: The move by the Goa government to seek a constituent authority for implementation of the

Mhadei Water

Dispute Tribunal’s decision, has safeguarded the state’s interest against any mischief by neighbouring states.

The tribunal has ordered the constitution of a

Mhadei Water Management Authority

to implement the report and its final decision. The mandate given to the authority is to own and operate projects for diversion of Mhadei waters, situated/located in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Considering Karnataka’s past manoeuvre of attempting to divert water, Goa’s witness in the case, Chetan Pandit, had asserted that Goa being the lower riparian state in the Mhadei river basin, would be concerned about securing its share not only in the basin as a whole, but also in each of its tributaries at a specified time. He sought for the constitution of a regulatory authority.

The tribunal found substance in the suggestion made by the witness after seeking response of the other states. While rapping Karnataka and Maharashtra for not responding to the issue of setting up regulatory authority, the tribunal observed, “Probably, such an attitude may indicate that those two states are not interested in the constitution of a management board/ authority for implementation of the report/final decision rendered by the tribunal. Such a recalcitrant, disobedient, obstinate, unwilling and indifferent attitude by Karnataka and Maharashtra can hardly be approved by the tribunal.”

Pandit also suggested that the tribunal should give detailed instructions regarding the quantity of water to be used by Karnataka, not only in each project but also at various points of time. He pointed out that in case of the Cauvery river, despite of an interim award given by the tribunal for release of water to the lower riparian state, the upper riparian state did not comply with directions given by Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. The lower riparian state had to often rush to the Supreme Court, he added.