Leaders of the Mahadayi Bachao Abhiyan, which is spearheading opposition to the Karnataka government’s Mahadayi river water diversion projects, on Friday emailed Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to “maintain consistency” on the issue of Mahadayi water resources and not to open any political channels when tribunal award is awaited.
Nandakumar Kamat, researcher and professor at Goa University who is also a former member of the panel of experts set up by the government of Goa on Mahadayi diversion, said in his letter that dispute was not between political parties. It was about water security of a lower-riparian State, Goa, and a growing and unsustainable demand from Karnataka.
“But I think this matter is not a matter of only Central BJP and Goa/Karnataka BJP but concerns all the political parties and all the people of Goa. Especially, it concerns the future generations going to face a real water supply crisis,” said Dr. Kamat.
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Dr. Kamat warned Mr. Parrikar that if the Goa government agrees to any engineering or other technical innovation to diversion of water under the pretext of “supply of drinking water” outside the basin, then Goa’s case would be permanently weakened for all times to come.