Sawant wants MoEF to withdraw Kalasa-Banduri canal letter

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said he would write to Union Minister for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar requesting him to withdraw the controversial communication to the Karnataka government allowing the latter to go ahead with the Kalasa-Bandari canal to divert water from the Mhadei river.

Sawant, who is facing criticism from the Opposition for not doing enough to prevent Javadekar from giving the go-ahead to Karnataka for the controversial project, despite the matter being sub judice, also said that the state government would not hesitate to appeal against the MoEF decision with the National Green Tribunal.

"We are sending a letter to the Union MoEF Minister Prakash Javdekar urging him to withdraw the letter given to Karnataka permitting them to go ahead with the Kalasa-Banduri project," Sawant said.

The Chief Minister also said that the Goa government would seek a site inspection of the Kalasa-Banduri site by the MoEF, indirectly alleging that laws had been violated while constructing the canal.

"If the letter is not withdrawn, we will appeal against it before the NGT. There will be no compromise on the Mhadei issue," Sawant said.

The Mhadei, or Mandovi, river, is known as a lifeline in the northern parts of Goa. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra.

The tribunal hearing the over two-decade-old dispute between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra over Mhadei river water sharing had, in its award in August 2018, allotted 13.42 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) from the Mhadei river basin (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) to Karnataka.

Maharashtra has been allotted 1.33 TMC. Both Karnataka and Goa have publicly expressed reservations about the tribunal's award and have also approached the Supreme Court for relief.

The Goa government in a petition to the court has also accused Karnataka of "illegally" constructing the Kalasa-Banduri project, ostensibly to divert additional water from the Mhadei river basin.IANS