Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Nearly 3 months after the announcement of its formation, the Union government has finally notified the Mhadei PRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony) or the Mhadei Water Management Authority to ‘give effect to the decisions of the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal, dated the 14th August, 2018’.
The Authority will be headquartered in Panaji. The scheme titled Mahadayi Water Management Scheme, 2023 has been framed, to constitute the Mahadayi PRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare And Harmony) and notified on May 22,2023.
The Authority will be headed by Chairperson (full-time independent) amongst the serving officers who is an engineer from the Central Water Engineering Service (CWES) cadre of the level of Higher Administrative Grade (HAG) or Member, Central Water Commission (CWC) and will be appointed for a term not exceeding three years.
The Union government recently approved the Detailed Project Report submitted by Karnataka on its plan to construct dams at Khalsa and Bhanduri tributories of the river.
Ever since Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that the Centre has cleared the much disputed Kalasa-Banduri dam project in his state, people have started holding public meetings against the Central government’s decision.
Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the Kalasa-Banduri dam project across the water of Mhadei river at a central tribunal.
Mhadei originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji.
While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa.
Karnataka plans to construct dams on the river, aimed at diverting the water into its water-starved Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka.
