Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: The third meeting of the Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony, or Mhadei-PRAWAH, was rescheduled for a later date, most likely after the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration. It was originally set for this Thursday.
The meeting has been postponed, according to Director of Water Resources PB Badami, and the new dates will be announced soon. Delhi was to host the Mhadei-PRAWAH’s third meeting.
PM Scott’s superannuation meant that Navin Kumar, the current Central Water Commission (CWC) in-charge, would preside over the meeting.
The conference was rescheduled, according to sources, at the State of Maharashtra’s request. The State asked to postpone the meeting until after the holidays.
The first meeting of PRAWAH was conducted in Goa, and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru.
As PRAWAH reportedly failed to note the violations of Karnataka, the Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Wednesday slammed BJP’s double engine government for compromising the ‘Mhadei’ river to gain political dividend.
Alemao said that members of Mhadei Water Management Authority (PRAWAH) had inspected the flow of Mhadei water at several sites of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka in July, but had skipped inspection at Kankumbi, which is the prime area of violation by Karnataka. This has now compelled the Goa government to write again to PRAWAH.
On July 4, P M Scott, the former chairperson of Mahadayi PRAWAH, visited Goa with other members to examine the Mhadei basin. The Authority visited the Amthane Dam, Bicholim River, Anjunem Dam, Surla, Mhadei at Ustem, and the Valvanti Drinking Water Scheme on July 4.
The Cumbharjua Canal, Sarmanas, the Opta water treatment plant, and Ganjem Barrage were all visited by the authority on July 5.
On July 6, officials paid visits to the Dangarawadi irrigation project in Maharashtra, Morachi Rai, and Virdi Dam.
Mhadei PRAWAH traveled to the state of Karnataka on July 7. The former chairman, P M Scott, highlighted in the report the areas he and others visited, but the report makes no note of the observation that the Kalasa river’s flow was redirected to the Malaprabha River using RCC box conduits that the state of Karnataka had already built.
The Mhadei basin’s Kalsa Nala water diversion was confirmed at the conduits’ entry point and, notably, at their terminus at the Malaprabha river that connects them.
Authorities reportedly visited the places used for diversion, but they made no mention of it.
