Team Herald
PANJIM: In a major development on the contentious Mhadei river inter-State dispute, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved establishment of Mhadei Water Authority -PRAWAH- for compliance and implementation of the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT).
The establishment of the Authority was one of the prime demands of Goa Government, which has been strongly contending against Centre’s approval to Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Kalasa-Bandura water diversion project.
Soon after the development Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat tweeted.
In his tweet, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led cabinet today (Wednesday) has approved the creation of Mahadayi PRAWAH.
“This will enable the compliance, implementation of the award & decisions of Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal,” he tweeted further.
The Union Minister also said that the Authority will also aid in building mutual trust & understanding among party states – Goa, Karnataka & Maharashtra thereby ensuring the right use of water resources of this region for its overall development.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant thanked the Union Government for approving the establishment of the PRAWAH in the Cabinet meeting.
“This has been one of our primary demands and we wholeheartedly welcome the decision,” he said.
Sawant said that the establishment of the authority will help in preventing illegal diversion of water.
“It also reaffirms the fact that Union Government will not allow any injustice on Goa,” he said.
Karnataka’s decision to go ahead with a water diversion project on river Mhadei has escalated its long-standing dispute on the issue with Goa.
The Tribunal in 2018 awarded 13.42 TMC water from Mahadayi river basin to Karnataka, 1.33 TMC to Maharashtra and 24 TMC to Goa. In Karnataka’s share, 5.5 TMC was to meet drinking water needs and 8.02 TMC was for hydro-electricity generation.
Of the 5.5 TMC, 3.8 TMC was to be diverted to Malaprabha basin through Kalasa and Bandura Nalas (canals). The Award was notified by the Central government in February 2020.
