Box
Twin Threat to Goa…
* PRAWAH Approval:Maharashtra’s controversial Virdi dam across Kattika Nalla cleared by Progressive River Authority (PRAWAH) despite legal cases pending in Supreme Court.
* Goa’s Silence:Goa government did not raise objections at the PRAWAH meeting and even supported Maharashtra’s use of 0.56 TMC feet of water.
* Ecological Risk:Dam located just 3.5 km from Goa’s border, near Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary; threatens forests, biodiversity, and river flow into Goa.
* Water Security Threat:Project could reduce flow in Valvonti River, impacting drinking water supply to Bardez, Bicholim, and Sattari; major treatment plants may suffer.
* Karnataka’s Diversion Plans:Parallel projects in Chorla by Karnataka to dam Haltara Nalla may further cut water to Goa, compounding the ecological damage.
* Unilateral History:Maharashtra has previously constructed Tillari and Kadshi projects without MoUs with Goa, ignoring ecological and interstate protocols.
By Satyavatinandan Satrekar
The Progressive River Authority for Wellbeing and Harmony (PRAWAH), constituted by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, has granted approval to Maharashtra’s long-pending Virdi dam project. The decision was taken during PRAWAH’s fourth meeting held recently in Bangalore, even as the matter of water-sharing among Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka remains pending before the Supreme Court.
The Virdi dam, located in Dodamarg taluka of Maharashtra, is being constructed across the Kattika Nalla — a tributary of the Valvonti river — barely 3.5 km from the Goa border. The project has remained controversial since its inception, largely due to the absence of necessary statutory and environmental clearances.
History of Violations and Tribunal Order
Maharashtra had previously attempted to commence dam construction on two or three occasions without securing the required clearances. In February 2015, work was halted after the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal directed Maharashtra to stop construction until all statutory and environmental permissions were obtained.
The Tribunal, in its final award on August 14, 2018, allocated Maharashtra 1.33 TMC feet of water for in-basin use. However, all three riparian states — Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka — have filed Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) before the Supreme Court seeking either enhancement or reconsideration of their allocated shares. The case is still awaiting final hearing.
Despite this legal uncertainty, Maharashtra resumed construction of the dam two years ago and has since completed major portions of the project — including a 736-meter-long and 48.375-meter-high dam structure designed to store 14.138 million cubic meters (MCM) of water. The project has been executed by V.I. Shetty Construction, Hubballi.
Goa’s Silent Endorsement Raises Eyebrows
Surprisingly, the Goa government did not raise any objections to the Virdi project during the PRAWAH meeting. It even extended support for Maharashtra’s utilisation of 0.56 TMC feet of water from the Kattika Nalla — a move that has sparked concern among environmentalists and water resource experts in Goa.
Sources in the Goa water resources department argue that if Maharashtra uses the allocated 0.56 TMC feet, the remainder of the water from Kattika Nalla is unlikely to flow naturally into the Valvonti river, as Maharashtra claims. The skepticism is rooted in Karnataka’s ongoing damming and diversion schemes in Chorla’s upper reaches, which are already threatening the flow of water in the region.
Implications for Goa’s Water Supply and Ecology
Valvonti River currently supports the drinking water needs of vast areas including Bicholim, Bardez, and Sattari. Water treatment plants at Padoshe and Sankhali in Bicholim, and Asnora in Bardez, could face a significant shortfall in supply if the flow is altered. Additionally, the reduced discharge may severely impact Vazra Sakhala waterfalls and the ecological balance in the forested Western Ghats.
Environmentalists warn that the large-scale forest destruction due to tunnel excavation for the Virdi project has already disrupted local ecosystems. Moreover, the degraded catchment area may not yield sufficient water to fill the reservoir, potentially increasing sedimentation and desiltation, which would further reduce the dam’s viability.
Maharashtra’s Pattern of Unilateral Actions
This isn’t the first time Maharashtra has gone ahead with water infrastructure projects without coordinating with Goa. In the past, it constructed an anicut across the Tillari river at Maneri and a bandhara across the Kadshi Nalla, a tributary of the Terekhol, both without any memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Goa. It has also undertaken irrigation projects on the Kalane Nalla in Fukeri.
In 2006, when Karnataka laid the foundation stone for the controversial Kalasa-Banduri project, Maharashtra quietly shifted its proposed dam site from Pavalanchi Kond to Shidbache Mol, just 2 km from Shiroli and less than 4 km from the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary — a declared eco-sensitive zone.
A Call for Caution and Clarity
Experts and civil society groups in Goa have called on the state government to re-evaluate its position and demand stringent scrutiny of Maharashtra’s water utilisation and environmental impact. Failure to do so, they warn, could jeopardize Goa’s long-term water security and ecological integrity.
The PRAWAH approval, despite being conditional in nature, has raised serious questions about interstate coordination, judicial oversight, and environmental governance. With the Supreme Court yet to deliver its final verdict on the water dispute, observers suggest that premature approvals like this risk undermining the court’s authority and the fragile equilibrium of Goa’s river systems.
