Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Karnataka Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy has called for a negotiated approach to the decades-old Mhadei water dispute, saying Goa and Karnataka should explore an amicable settlement instead of allowing the issue to remain confined to prolonged legal battles.
Speaking in Goa, Swamy said Karnataka’s immediate requirement was for water meant for drinking and replenishing tanks. He appealed to Goa to consider Karnataka’s needs while emphasising the close links between people living on either side of the state border.
Swamy pointed out that a sizeable number of Karnataka residents live in Goa, while people from Goa have also made their homes in Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru. He said these social connections should help create an atmosphere for cooperation between the neighbouring states.
The minister said both sides should approach the dispute from the perspective that they belong to the same country and should attempt to resolve their differences through discussion.
He acknowledged that the matter has been under litigation for several years but said the existence of court proceedings should not prevent the two states from exploring a mutually acceptable solution.
Swamy also referred to Karnataka’s position as a downstream state and said it depended on the Mhadei waters for meeting certain drinking water and tank-filling requirements. He argued that significant quantities of water reach the sea during periods of flooding and appealed for consideration of ways to conserve such water.
The minister maintained that Karnataka’s request was limited to drinking water requirements and filling tanks, and was not intended for other purposes.
Goa, however, has consistently opposed proposed diversions from the Mhadei basin into Karnataka’s Malaprabha basin, citing concerns over the river’s ecological importance and the state’s own water requirements. The inter-state dispute has remained the subject of prolonged legal and regulatory proceedings.
