The Mahadayi River Water Tribunal’s award has been generally welcomed by most groups. However, it has been opposed by the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha that thought the allocation was too little.
Bharatiya Krishik Samaj Samyukta Sangha welcomed the verdict that awarded 5.4 tmcft of drinking water to the dry districts of North Karnataka. Siddagouda Modagi, sangha president and Mahadayi activist, said that he welcomed the verdict. “We have been fighting for this for decades. Our dream has come true,” he said. “This includes 1.72 tmcft from Kalasa and 2.18 tmcft from Bandori Nala. This will quench the thirst of North Karnataka towns and villages. We are thankful to the tribunal, headed by J.M. Panchal,’’ he said.
However, members of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha and Hasiru Sene staged a protest against the verdict for allotting water less than that had been sought for.
They burnt a tyre and staged a dharna at the Rani Channamma Circle. “Our claim was for 39 tmcft of water. But the tribunal allotted only 13.5 tmcft. This is not acceptable. We will continue our agitation,” said Raghavendra Nayak. He urged the State government to prefer an appeal against the tribunal’s verdict in the Supreme Court.
M.B. Zirli, Belagavi-based advocate and a member of State’s legal team before the tribunal, described it as a victory for Karnataka.
“The tribunal has addressed our immediate needs. However, the State government should approach the Supreme Court to seek our full share of water,” he said.
“The judgment is in 12 volumes and we need to study it fully before deciding the next course of action. He felt the Goa government had handled the case with immaturity, treating it as a property dispute and not as river water sharing. It also misled the tribunal saying that the river had only 90 tmcft of water while the tribunal said it had 188 tmcft of water. It also made baseless allegations that Karnataka was diverting water from Mahadayi basin to the Malaprabha basin,” he said.
Ashok Chandargi, convenor, action committee of Kannada organisations in Belagavi, welcomed the verdict.
“The tribunal's verdict is a setback for Goa government. Its leaders had earlier vowed that they will not release a drop of Mahadayi water. The award will help provide drinking water to 13 taluks of North Karnataka. But then, the State government should immediately start works to divert water from Kalasa and Bandori Nala to the Malaprabha. The Chief Minister should release money and instruct officials to take up work expeditiously,” he said.
Giridhar Kulkarni, wildlife conservation campaigner, had a word of caution: “There is a possibility of civil works damaging the fragile ecosystem in the Khanapur forests. We, therefore, urge the State government to declare the whole area neighbouring the Kalasa -Bandori Nala project as a flora and fauna sanctuary. This was done in the case of the Kali Tiger Sanctuary. When irrigation projects were planned on the Kali river, the surrounding area was declared as a sanctuary.’’
