Team Goemkarponn
DONAPAULA: Activists from the Together For Mahadayi Movement (TFMM) staged a protest on Thursday outside the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Dona Paula, objecting to a recent report published by NIO scientists on the Mhadei river water diversion issue. The demonstration was led by Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) leader Manoj Parab and St. Andre MLA Viresh Borkar.
TFMM strongly criticized the report, alleging that it undermines Goa’s interests in the ongoing water dispute. The activists accused the authors—three NIO scientists—of being biased, particularly pointing to Dr. D. Shankar, who hails from Karnataka. They claimed that his involvement raises serious questions about the neutrality of the findings, which they believe support Karnataka’s stance.
Addressing the protestors, RGP’s Manoj Parab questioned why the report was not made public in Goa and accused the BJP-led state government of tacitly supporting Karnataka’s demands. “These non-Goan scientists lack both ground-level understanding and emotional connect with Goa. The government must hold NIO accountable,” he said.
The NIO report, based on the diversion of water from the Kalasa and Bhandura tributaries, states that the approved diversion of 1.72 TMC (48.7 Mcum) from Kalasa could have a significant impact on the northern part of the wildlife sanctuary, though it claims the overall effect on the Mhadei river flow and Mandovi estuary is less than the natural variation.
Similarly, the study notes that the permitted diversion of 2.18 TMC (61.73 Mcum) from the Bhandura tributary would have only a minor impact on water discharge at the Goa–Karnataka border.
The protest highlights mounting public concerns in Goa over the Mhadei river dispute, particularly with regard to transparency in scientific assessments and the state’s role in protecting its ecological and water interests.
