Team Herald
PANJIM: The cross examination of Karnataka witness Prof A K Gosain before the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT), on the aspect of rainfall runoff coefficient and liner regression, continued on Wednesday.
When the matter came up for hearing, Senior Counsel Atmaram Nadkarni, appearing on behalf of Goa, further examined Gosain on the aspect of linear regression equation. It was categorically put before the witness that the linear regression equation made by him is wrong and he was asked to demonstrate before the tribunal as to how he arrived at it. The witness sought time till the afternoon for this.
Later, the witness informed the tribunal that the linear regression equation which he arrived at currently is different from the equations that he had mentioned in his report placed before the Tribunal in September 2015 and claimed that it was due to some inadvertent omission.
The witness was further cross examined on the point that in his linear regression equation he has arrived at positive intercept that would mean that even if the rainfall is zero, the runoff would be 32TMC, which is unknown to the field of hydrology. Nadkarni pointed out that runoff can never exceed the rainfall.
Gosain was further questioned that if the rainfall was 1500mm then the runoff would be 1537.48mm, which is practically not possible.
Replying to this, Gosain, trying to justify his claim, said that questions raised by Goa are theoretical because for all the years, from 1928 to 1997, the runoff has always been less than the rainfall.
However, the statement was immediately countered by showing him the rainfall and runoff for 1971, wherein the runoff was much more than the rainfall, to which the witness admitted that the earlier question with respect to 1500 mm was not a hypothetical question.
The witness once again stood exposed before the Tribunal. The cross examination will continue on Thursday.
—
Pandit’s term as technical consultant on Mhadei issue extended
The State Cabinet on Wednesday approved a one-year extension to former member of the Central Water Commission (CWC) Chetan Pandit, as technical consultant to fight Goa’s case before the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT).
Pandit has been granted an extension from January 1 to December 31, 2017. He was earlier appointed in 2014. Pandit in his hydrology report on the Mhadei River submitted before the tribunal has made a strong case stating that the water cannot be diverted from the river basin as it has many biodiversity hotspots and wildlife sanctuaries.
Pandit, who was cross examined in September last year and again in March this year, stated that the Mhadei river basin is not a typical Indian river basin and there is no scope for a dam or diversion of water from the Mhadei tributary. The hydrology expert had earlier declared Goa as water deficient.
He had even criticised the Central Water Commission data on which Karnataka is relying on, to seek the diversion of water from the Mhadei basin
His report led to the tribunal rejecting Karnataka’s plea for diversion of 7tmc of water from Mhadei river in 2016.
—
Goa to seek another extension of water tribunal term
The Goa government will seek another extension to the term of the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT), with the Union Government. There are just about three months left for the current term of the tribunal, involving Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, to end.
State Water Resources Minister Vinod Palyekar who is currently in Delhi, will call upon Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati seeking another extension to the tribunal’s term, which is slated to expire on August 21. The term of the Mhadei tribunal was extended by a year in July last.
“The Mhadei tribunal case is going very strongly in favour of Goa, and Karnataka is on the back foot. I would be calling upon the Union Minister to demand an extension of the tribunal as the current term ends in August,” Palyekar said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
He added, “Government is committed to save mother Mhadei which is the lifeline of Goans. We will leave no stone unturned to ensure that Goa wins the battle.”
The Minister on Wednesday attended the hearing before the Tribunal, wherein Additional Solicitor General Atmaram Nadkarni continued to cross examine the Karnataka witness. Palyekar appreciated the way the legal team and the Water Resource Engineers are working on the case.
In July, 2002, Goa, under Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 had requested the constitution of the tribunal to adjudicate and decide on the dispute relating to Mandovi River. The issues mentioned in the request included assessment of available utilisable water resources in the basin at various points and allocation of this water to the three basin States keeping in view priority of the use of water within the basin as also to decide the machinery to implement the decision of the tribunal.
