PANJIM: Stating that the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) award allowing Karnataka to utilise 13.4 TMC feet of water will have a long-term impact on Goa, the Congress on Thursday demanded that the State government challenge the award before the Supreme Court.
Addressing media persons, Congress spokesperson Adv Yatish Naik said a detailed reading of the tribunal award reveals that the State government has failed miserably in protecting Goa’s interest. He also questioned the logic behind the government’s victory remark, when State was against diversion of water to Karnataka.
“Goa government had approached the Tribunal with a plea to not to allow Karnataka to divert water from the Mhadei basin. However, the tribunal allowed Karnataka to utilise 13.42tmc feet of water as against their demand of 36.5 TMC,” Naik pointed out.
“On the other hand, Goa had demanded 122tmc feet of water, but the Tribunal allowed only 24 TMC feet of water,” he stated adding, “The award of the tribunal is completely against the contentions of the State government and hence there is no question of victory of Goa.”
Pointing out that 92 villages fall in the Mhadei river basin with a cultivable land of 91,072ha, the Congress leader said the verdict will have a far reaching long-term impact on the State. “We therefore demand that the State government challenge the award of the tribunal before the Supreme Court forthwith and without any delay so as to ensure that justice is done to Goa,” Naik demanded.
Naik said that the tribunal in its verdict has observed that Goa failed to establish through scientific studies that any diversion of water outside the basin would adversely impact the water resources including ground water, river morphology, agriculture, irrigation, navigation. “Tribunal also said that Goa has not established conclusively through scientific studies that the impact of climate change and global warming would adversely impact the water resources of Mhadei basin and consequently impact all related issues,” he said.
“Therefore, the verdict of the tribunal reveals that the Goa government has failed to protect the interest of Goa despite spending crores of rupees,” he stated.
