PANJIM: Goa government on Monday reiterated before the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal ( MWDT) that the river is a deficit basin, while Malaprabha, where Karnataka wants to divert water to is surplus.
During the hearing, Goa’s Senior Counsel, Adv Atmaram Nadkarni, pointed out before the tribunal to the cross examination of Karnataka witness AK Bajaj wherein he had admitted that he had not conducted any water balance study for Malaprabha basin and Kaki basin as whole.
Nadkarni further brought to the notice of the tribunal that the first requirement of law, namely that the basin to which the water is to be transferred is a deficit basin, has not been established by Karnataka and the arguments apply to both Malaprabha and Kali basins.
The tribunal was also apprised on the facts placed by Goa Water Resources Department proving with evidence that Mhadei is a deficit basin.
Nadkarni argued before the tribunal that the total requirement of water in the Mhadei basin is 172 tmc which is much more that the actual current yield of the basin.
The hearing will continue on Tuesday.
