Betrayal Within Goa
— WRD officials from Karnataka weakened Goa’s Mhadei case due to divided loyalty.
— Goa’s legal fight lacked conviction; Karnataka and Maharashtra gained ground.
— Only Goan officers and experts can defend Mhadei effectively.
— Double-tracking and coal transport threaten forests, rivers, and health.
— Delay in tiger reserve declaration weakens Goa’s position.
— Goa is vulnerable to climate disasters but unprepared.
— Kerkar calls it “betrayal from within.”
Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: Environmental activist Rajendra Kerkar has accused Goa’s Water Resources Department (WRD) of weakening the state’s case on the Mhadei river, saying that some senior officials guiding the dispute are natives of Karnataka and carry “soft feelings” for that state rather than loyalty to Goa.
In a candid interview, Kerkar said Goa’s legal fight was not lost in courtrooms alone but also undermined by those entrusted with defending the state’s lifelines. “When officials at the helm belong to Karnataka by birth, their sympathies lie across the border. How can we expect them to argue forcefully for Goa when their emotional allegiance is elsewhere?” he asked.
Kerkar said this conflict of interest explains why Goa has consistently failed to present a compelling case before the Mahadayi Water Tribunal and the Mahadayi Water Authority. “Our petitions lack depth, our objections are half-hearted, and our officials often do not even understand the ecological significance of Mhadei for Goa. That is why Karnataka has been able to quietly complete diversion works while Goa drifts,” he said.
According to him, Karnataka has already built diversion channels at Kalsa and Bandura, and Maharashtra too has pushed ahead with its Virdi dam project. “Goa’s gains have been minimal because the state speaks without conviction. This is not just a legal lapse—it is a betrayal of Goa’s people,” Kerkar said.
He emphasised that Goa needs to place local experts and committed Goan officers in charge. “Only someone rooted here can explain what the loss of Dudhsagar or Khandepar means. Outsiders and officials with split loyalties cannot represent our survival concerns,” he said.
Kerkar linked the weakening of the Mhadei case to a broader erosion of Goa’s environmental safeguards. He warned that double-tracking of railways through Mollem, presented as a tourism and transport project, is designed to facilitate coal transport. “People in Vasco and Mormugao already choke on coal dust. Expanding this will spread pollution across villages and forests, threatening both human health and wildlife,” he said.
On the tiger reserve demand, Kerkar said the 2022 census confirmed the presence of five tigers in the Mhadei basin, but the government has stalled. “Declaring a tiger reserve would have made it harder for Karnataka to push its projects. Instead, reports are being suppressed. This suits those who want to keep doors open for destructive works,” he added.
He also connected Goa’s environmental vulnerability to climate disasters witnessed elsewhere. “Look at Himachal or Kashmir—cloudbursts and landslides have devastated them. Goa is equally fragile. If a cloudburst happens in Vasco or Sattari, entire villages could be wiped out. Yet disaster preparedness is non-existent,” he warned.
For Kerkar, the lesson is clear: “Goa’s defeat on Mhadei is not just because of Karnataka’s aggression. It is also because of betrayal within our own system. Until we remove officials who owe loyalty elsewhere and put true Goans in charge, our rivers, forests and future will remain at risk.”
