Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has raised serious concerns over the Mhadei River diversion project, cautioning that it poses a significant threat to Goa’s environment, biodiversity, and long-term water security.
Addressing a press conference in the capital, South Goa Member of Parliament Captain Viriato Fernandes strongly criticised a recent report by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), alleging that it lacked impartiality and was not based on adequate field research.
Fernandes cited findings from prestigious institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), IIT Mumbai, the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research. According to these studies, diverting the Mhadei River could lead to saline desertification and have severe consequences for the State’s ecosystem.
The GPCC highlighted that nearly 43% of Goa’s population relies on the Mhadei River for drinking water and daily needs. A decrease in river flow, the committee warned, would exacerbate saline intrusion in the Mandovi River and impact water availability across the State.
Particularly at risk are Goa’s evergreen forests, which depend on the river’s non-monsoon tributaries such as Bhandura and Kalasa. The drying of these streams could lead to biodiversity loss and increased forest fragmentation. Wildlife sanctuaries like the Mhadei Sanctuary in Goa and Bhimgad in Karnataka would be deprived of vital water sources, the GPCC added.
The committee also underscored the threat to marine ecosystems. The Mhadei transports essential nutrients from the Western Ghats to the coast, supporting fish populations and the livelihoods of fishing communities. Any disruption to this nutrient flow could destabilise the coastal ecosystem.
Calling the Western Ghats one of the planet’s key ecological hotspots, Fernandes warned that tampering with its river systems could have broader implications for regional climate and environmental stability.
He urged leaders across political parties to unite on this issue and appealed to the Chief Minister to lead an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister, seeking urgent intervention to halt the diversion and protect Goa’s natural heritage.
