Team Herald
PANJIM: The Mhadei Bachao Andolan (MBA), that spearheaded the fight against Karnataka’s move to divert 56TMC of water from River Mhadei, has objected to the Central Government’s move to set up a single, permanent Inter-State Water Dispute Tribunal (ISWDT) subsuming existing tribunals. The abhiyan said that if this happens, ‘Goa’s battle will be lost’.
MBA has urged its secretary, environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar, to place the Mhadei water diversion case with its impact on environment and ecology before the National Wildlife Board (NWB) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of which Kerkar is a member.
Addressing media persons on Thursday, MBA President Nirmala Sawant said, “We strongly oppose the Centre’s move. If a common tribunal is formed, then Goa will have no case left.”
Pinning its hopes on the Supreme Court for a respite, Sawant said that on April 13, the Court will open the report drafted by Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in 2009 that reviewed the environmental aspect of the work of the Kalsa canal by Karnataka in Kankumbi, giving a clear picture of the kind of violations committed by Karnataka from 2009 till date.
“CEC had video filmed the site during their visit in February 2009. That will help us prove the violations done by Karnataka in the form of environmental and ecological destruction,” she said.
MBA had approached the SC in 2007 challenging the Karnataka government project on environmental grounds and had pointed out that the project was undertaken without obtaining Environmental Clearance (EC) from Union Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF). The Court, in its latest order, has asked MoEF to submit the report on the environmental damage caused due to the project.
MBA member Dr Nandakumar Kamat said that the dissolution of MWDT would be a major setback to the State, as it will have no case left and with just three Members of Parliament and it won’t be able to get any justice. “I urge Kerkar to take up the matter before NWB,” he said.
Kamat accused the government of failing to put a strong case before the Tribunal on the environmental and ecological front. “Western Ghats is in the UNESCO heritage list. The habitat of wildlife will be destroyed. The project is located just 300 meters of protected areas of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. These points make a strong case,” he said adding that the diversion of water will cause water scarcity in 185 villages.
MBA secretary Kerkar said that despite the Tribunal’s order, work on the Kalsa canal is on. He said that Karnataka’s diverting of the water flow of the Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary is a violation of the Wildlife Protection Act 1975.
