Drinking water and potable water are going to be scarce in future. This scarcity is the by product of development. In the name of development, there is rampant degradation of environment with destruction of green cover, which are never replenished by the developers resulting in irregular or excess rains and other climatic changes, affecting cultivation and the resultant scarcity. Interstate water disputes are quite common and Karnataka is no stranger to such disputes. The ongoing Kaveri water sharing disputes, have resulted in the death of many but not of the politicians.
One unique quality of all politicians is that, they have the expertise not only to create , disputes but also take maximum advantage of such disputes through electoral gains. Most of the border disputes between states belong to this genre. But unlike all such artificially created disputes, Madhei dispute involves livelihood issues and drinking water issues in both the states of Karnataka and Goa. The water needs of both these states are presumably genuine.
In such circumstances, it is rather difficult for Judicial authorities to decide whose needs are more genuine or pressing than that of the other. Questions of policy and political expediency gets involved in its resolution and the role of judiciary is ever so minimised and marginalised to deciding certain aspects only, like the manner and procedures of such water sharing or allotment or of dispute settlement mechanisms etc.
Naturally in such circumstances, the Central Government becomes the deciding authority either directly or indirectly through bodies created by them. Interestingly both the States (Karnataka & Goa) as well as the central government are controlled by the same political party and thus the dispute becomes one of Politics and political expediency.
What are these political considerations?
In Karnataka, the next assembly elections are due within the next 4 months i.e., May 2023. Karnataka has 224 assembly seats. Goa has only 40 assembly seats and the next assembly election will be only in 2027.
Karnataka has 27 Lok Sabha seats as compared to Goa which has only 2 and the next Lok Sabha elections will be in 2024 before the Goa Assembly elections in 2027.
The other considerations are that, it’s the earlier experience even with much less seats BJP was able to form Government in Goa and most importantly most of the MLAs in Goa are easily buyable and their buying prices are much less than anywhere else in India. Therefore even in the event of losing majority, BJP can always hope to form Government in Goa as the winning number is just 21 MLA’s, where as in Karnataka this number is nearly five to six times more, that is 113. There is a better political wisdom in favouring Karnataka than Goa. Then on the flip side, the source of Mhadei in contention is in Karnataka, and there are some apparent justifications of the need of drinking water in Hubli-Dharwad area.
Despite all the hue and cry, agitations, meeting and representation protests etc., in the ultimate outcome, Goa will lose substantial amount of water flowing into River Mandovi and this inevitability has already, been predetermined and set the tone by The Chief Minister of Goa that “Mhadei, a 30-yr issue cannot be resolved in a moment”. The only outcome of all these protests will be some politicians will gain lime light and prominence. (Good for their future elections), But the issue will remain as unresolved as ever.
What could be a viable alternative? Politically to shake the central leadership to act, there has to be an, immediate political crisis. To create such a political crisis, the only option is for all the 40 Goan MLAs should resign en masse. They should not only resign from their Assembly member ship, they should all resign from, all positions of power. Goa should be plunged into an administrative crisis. No doubt President’s rule will be imposed at lighting speed, but then re-elections have to be held.
For such re-elections, people should place their demand as SAVE MHADEI & SAVE GOA with a definite promise and then only, the newly elected 40 members could fight jointly and win or at least find alternative. But the biggest question is do the present MLAs have that much love for Goa and Goans, more than their greed for power and positions?
This being a mostly unlikely event, the people of Goa should realise that politicians are not really interested in the welfare of the people or the State. The people themselves have to now proactively act to protect their interest, the future of their children and that of the State before a situation like, what is happening in Joshimath, happens, where the land is rendered unfit for human habitation, all because of the greed of the politician using the plank of development.
The only alternative remedy is to ensure availability of water, even if, Karnataka succeeds in diverting the river flow and may be the river Mandovi may run dry. Goa is gifted with abundant rainfall for nearly 3-4 months a year and no efforts are presently made to conserve or preserve 10 percent of this nature’s bounty. Efforts should be to create techniques for rain water preservation. May be, by creating lakes and bunds, using water shed management to at least retain 50 percent of the rain fall in Goa and increase the green cover of Goa drastically by suitable dedicated programme.
Any such programme as a mass movement or people’s movement, involving everyone in Goa, every educational institution, and every other institution to make provisions to conserve and preserve rain water can, definitely, over a period of time make Goa a water plenty State. This calls for grass root level, household level, planning, for water conservation and an action plan. It is possible and can be done if Panchayats all over Goa takes it as their core and thrust area, instead of constructing buildings and calling it development, water conservation is development in true sense. By preserving nature and respecting nature, nature will reward abundantly and on the contrary destroying nature will result in rampant mass destruction by various vagaries of nature.
The choice is, therefore before Goan people, whether to preserve nature and conserve water for theirs and their children’s future or allow destruction of nature, which will ultimately destroy them and their future.
(The writer is a Professor of Law and education
consultant)
