“I was looking at a river bed And the story it told of a river that flowed
Made me sad to think that it was dead” –
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(Words of a song)
We hardly take notice of our dying rivers until they are entirely dead. Goa is blessed with 11 rivers. Among these 11 rivers, the Mandovi is the longest. Though it is not as long as the river Ganga which has the length of about 2,525 kms or the Cauvery, one of the biggest rivers of Southern India which is 760 Kms in length.
The river Mandovi has a length of 111 kms Mhadei River also known as Mandovi, is the life-line of Goa since 43% of Goans receive their drinking water from Mhadei. Diverting the water of Mhadei will leave Goa dry and barren in the near future. The Mhadei river water issue is becoming more and more contentious with Goans from all walks of life waking up to the fact that somewhere soon there maybe no river Mandovi left. Any diversion of water from the upper catchments of Mhadei will severely impact the downstream ecology. Planting trees in catchment areas of rivers and also on banks checks soil erosion while simultaneously retaining the soil moisture that helps to check in the continuous flow and discharge of river water into the sea.
States get into conflict with each other on the issue of sharing water resources from the same source primarily because of the bullying attitude of the bigger states. Sometimes a dispute arises because of inadequate compensation received by a state that has been prejudicially affected by the implementation of a project or an award by another state. It is our duty to ensure that our water aquifers are periodically serviced as they are an important part of our rivers and also faithfully check and maintain that the quality of rivers in not affected due to destructive human activities. India has 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of its renewable water resources! To add to our problems there is uneven water distribution of rivers in the country. Stake holders fear that the diversion of Mhadei water will have a cascading effect on the ecology, farming and supply of drinking water to the people in the state.
Karnataka since last 3 decades has been very keen to build dams on the tributaries of the river Mhadei originating from Karnataka; ostensibly to generate hydro-electricity or to make use of the water for irrigation purposes. Attempts to arrive at an amicable solution has proved futile and Karnataka is hell bent and brazenly adamant about going headlong with its plans. Goa has approached the Supreme Court of India for justice and awaits its final verdict.
The fight for Mhadei which has reached the doorstep of the Chief Minister’s residence will continue so long as the threat to our life line of water is real and palpable. Goans from every part of the State, irrespective of their political affiliations, have in the last few days come together to stridently raise their voice against the high handedness of the Karnataka Government and its unilateral actions and projects to divert the water of Mhadei. Karnataka is known to fight pitched battles with its neighbours on sharing of water resources. First they tried to divert the river Krishna waters from Maharashtra. They fought endlessly with Tamilnadu to divert water from the River Cauvery; and now since the last 3 decades they have been at logger-heads with Goa in its attempt to divert water from the Mhadei River through the construction of dams on the rivers tributaries Kalasa and Banduri.
Let us remind ourselves that the Government in Karnataka has the blessings of the Centre: since both belong to the same political party (BJP). We must stand together unitedly and fight against the arrogance of Karnataka which seems to have the blessings of our own BJP government back home. The recent events testify to our government’s collusion. Goa Government will fail to muzzle and silence the voice of a people’s movement. More repression will lead to more defiance. Goans will ensure that the River Mandovi runs eternally into Goa by ensuring that we fight for every drop of water that is due to us.
In most religious traditions – water is basic to physical and spiritual life, symbolizing cleansing and purification. Everyone of us has the right to clean drinking water. We will not allow the fate of our planet’s rivers to hang on the balance of intellectual, political or economic arguments and conspiracies. Ultimately rivers will only be saved when our hearts shall beat together as one so that we continue to hear the music of running waters that is swiftly waning. Rivers give us life, they help us prosper and flourish. Without rivers, life on earth would not be possible for humans. Rivers need our tender care and love (TLC). Now is the hour: Let us struggle in unison to save Mhadei. Goa without Mhadei waters will soon wither and die.
Shame on the Sanquelim Municipal Council Chief Officer for revoking permission to hold a public meeting by people of Goa who legitimately are concerned about the well being of the future generations and want to protect the future generations (Inter generational equity) and the environment and rivers of Goa. A Mega Mhadei rally will be held at 4 pm today January 16 at the open ground next to Amona-Virdi bridge. The meeting assumes importance as it is called in the constituency represented by CM Pramod Sawant. The day also coincides with the Opinion Poll Day 56 years ago. The people of Goa must remember that their united and informed struggle will triumph in saving the Mhadei waters for all, times to come.
(The writer is a social scientist and a Sr. practicing criminal lawyer)
