The Hindu : Mahadayi: State's plans put on hold for now

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 02, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Mahadayi: State's plans put on hold for now

By M.Madan Mohan

HUBLI Jan. 1. Interlinking of rivers is the latest buzzword, which has caught the imagination of practically every one starting from the Prime Minister down to the last citizen.

How far the concept is practicable or feasible apart from the investment required? It is easier said than done going by what is happening in the case of the Mahadayi.

The Union Ministry of Water Resources has not only stayed the "in principle'' clearance to the State's plan for diversion of waters to a deficit basin but at a recent meeting of the two States convened by it, also deferred a decision on the State's plans.

The State's plans have been put on hold for the time being. Whether it will continue for an indefinite period is the question worrying the minds of all concerned.

Mahadayi is a west flowing river, which originates in the State, traverses for 87 km, the first 35 km here, before joining the Arabian Sea in Goa. It has a catchment area of 2032 sq km, of which the State accounts for 375 sq km.

Its yield has been assessed by the Central Water Commission between 181 tmcft to 209 tmcft at 75 per cent of dependability. At the moment, practically the entire yield gets drained into the Arabian Sea, a colossal waste by any standard considering how precious has been water as a national asset for providing irrigation and meeting drinking water requirements.

None of the two basin States, Goa and Karnataka, has had any plans to utilise the river water so far, though the Mahadayi Basin is considered surplus.

Goa even today has no plans to utilise the river water. Experts say that this will continue for another 50 years at the present usage level.

Though the State has been toying with the idea to use the river water for the past two decades, its plans have taken concrete shape only now. The Malaprabha Basin, a sub basin in the Krishna Basin here, is a deficit basin. The dam built across the river near Saundatti has never seen water filled to its capacity of 44 tmcft. It is short by 10 tmcft every season.

The shortage in the storage level has assumed significance in the context of the fact that several areas in the districts within its vicinity have been depending on it for drinking water requirements, the biggest of them being Hubli and Dharwad. Unless supply is augmented, it will be very difficult to provide drinking water to the people.

It is in this context that the State drew up plans for diverting a very small portion of the water (3.50 per cent of its potential) to firm up storage at the Malaprabha Reservoir. The Union Ministry of Water Resources, which initially gave an "in principle'' clearance to the proposal, did a volte face at the behest of the BJP-run Goa Government.

It even stalled a decision at the meeting of the two States in the last week of December. This is despite the State presenting precedents where such "in principle" clearances had been given in the past, and of its willingness to accept the internationally accepted principle of "equitable apportionment'' in determining the share of water and agreeing to adjust the present plan against the share in the river water that it would get at a later date.

The Union Ministry was, however, unwilling to concede the State's demand for constituting a tribunal for determining the share of the river water. This was the demand that had been originally made by Goa in its complaint to the Union Ministry. The December meeting was called to discuss this issue. While Goa remained silent, the State demanded the constitution of a tribunal, and the Union Ministry was simply reluctant.

The plea taken by Union Ministry for postponing the decision was the reconciliation of the data on the yield available. This was strange, as the State had relied on the data generated by the Central Water Commission and the NWDA in making out its case. How is it that the Union Ministry has no faith in the data generated by its own agencies?

On Goa's stand that the Mahadayi is a deficit basin, the State offered the actual measurement of the river flow compiled in the last 24 years.

The CWC, it is pointed out, has a measuring arrangement at a place called Ganjim, located on the border of the two States. The place covers a catchment area of 880 sq km, which is about 40 per cent of the catchment area of the Mahadayi Basin.

The actual measurement done over the 24-year period has revealed that the flow was 105 tmcft at 75 per cent dependability. This flow is actually measured during the monsoon. The yield in Goa could be taken at that level, which should put the total yield at 210 tmcft. This data tallies with whatever the CWC and NWDA have with them.

It is clear that political considerations have influenced the Union Government to stall the diversion plan of the State.

What exactly is the course open for the State in the event of the Union Ministry postpones a decision in the name of reconciling data before March this year remains to be seen.

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