Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Government has renewed its concerns over the Kalasa Diversion Scheme, urging the Mhadei PRAWAH authority to ensure that no water escapes through the masonry plugs installed in the project’s RCC conduits.
The issue was raised at PRAWAH’s seventh meeting, held in Goa on July 10 and chaired for the first time by newly appointed Chairperson D S Chaskar.
Goa told the authority that any diversion of Mhadei waters towards Karnataka’s Malaprabha basin would be contrary to the directions issued by the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT).
The State also reiterated its demand for a joint inspection of the Kalasa project during the monsoon, saying that an assessment during actual rainfall and river-flow conditions would provide a clearer scientific picture of the situation.
S S Gill, IAS, Goa’s representative on PRAWAH, said the State remained committed to coordinated, scientific and sustainable management of the Mhadei basin. He urged the authority to prioritise the joint inspection and sought Karnataka’s cooperation in facilitating visits by officials and technical experts from the basin States.
Goa proposed field inspections, drone surveys and technical documentation of the Kalasa-Bhandura project and its catchment areas.
The State also asked PRAWAH to direct Karnataka to prevent any leakage through the masonry plugs in the RCC conduits. Goa pointed out that the plugs were installed pursuant to the MWDT’s April 17, 2014 order and maintained that they must ensure that Mhadei water is not diverted into the Malaprabha basin in violation of the tribunal’s directions.
The meeting also discussed the delay in preparing the Mhadei Water Yearbook, one of PRAWAH’s mandated responsibilities.
Chairperson D S Chaskar expressed concern that the publication has remained pending despite PRAWAH being constituted in 2023. The authority attributed the delay to the non-receipt of complete hydrometeorological data from all three States sharing the Mhadei basin.
PRAWAH has asked the basin States to submit the pending hydrometeorological and water-resource data for the complete water year, covering the period from June 1 to May 31.
The States have also been asked to provide basin maps identifying hydrometeorological monitoring stations and existing water-resource projects.
The authority said the information would facilitate preparation and publication of the Water Yearbook while also helping establish a comprehensive hydrometeorological database for the Mhadei basin.
