The Supreme Court on Thursday passed an interim order allowing an application by the State of Karnataka to notify the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal’s award.
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The implementation of the award would, however, be subject to the final judgment of the Supreme Court in the civil appeals filed by Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, challenging the allocation of water from the Mahadayi river among them.
Don’t oppose
Neither of the two States — Goa and Maharashtra — opposed the plea made by Karnataka to publish the August 2018 tribunal award in the official gazette.
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A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud listed the petitions for final arguments in July.
Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi, senior advocates Shyam Divan and Mohan Katarki, and advocates Nishanth Patil and V.N. Raghupathy represented the State of Karnataka.
The tribunal had allocated 13.42 TMC water (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mahadayi river basin to Karnataka.
Maharashtra was allotted 1.33 TMC water while Goa was given 24 TMC in the final decision of the tribunal. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-2 government had constituted the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal in 2010.
The Karnataka government had petitioned the tribunal seeking the release of 7.56 TMC of water for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project. The Kalasa-Banduri Nala (diversion) project, which will utilise 7.56 TMC of water from the inter-State Mahadayi river, is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag.
It involves building barrages across Kalasa and Banduri, the tributaries of the Mahadayi river, to divert 7.56 TMC water to the Malaprabha river, which fulfils the drinking water needs of the twin cities.