Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, May 16: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said he is carefully reviewing the recent National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) report on the Mhadei river water budget and its implications on the long-standing inter-state water dispute with Karnataka. He assured that a formal statement would be issued after thoroughly examining the study.
The study, authored by scientists K Anilkumar, D Shankar, and K Suprit, and published in the Journal of Earth System Sciences, suggests a cooperative approach between Goa and Karnataka through strategic water storage on the leeward side of the Sahyadri ridge in Karnataka while ensuring water security for Goa during the lean season.
The report proposes a mutually beneficial solution: Karnataka would benefit from permitted water diversion, and Goa would receive augmented in-basin storage. This storage, which would be used during dry months, is crucial for Goa, especially since constructing storage facilities within the state’s hilly and ecologically sensitive Sahyadri terrain is difficult due to submergence concerns and displacement issues.
Highlighting the issue of seasonal scarcity, the study notes that stream flow in the Mhadei basin reduces to a trickle by December. “Goa also faces acute water shortage towards the end of the lean season, and stakeholders had acknowledged the need for storage during a 2015 meeting,” the study states.
According to the researchers, the gentler terrain and less sensitive ecology of the leeward region in Karnataka make it suitable for building storage infrastructure. They recommend that both states agree on a water-sharing and cost-sharing formula. This would include Goa consenting to limited water diversion in exchange for guaranteed water releases during the dry season.
The proposal also includes setting a discharge floor downstream to maintain ecological flow and permitting limited carry-over of water into the following water year, which begins on June 1, without allowing excess storage beyond June.
“The annual surplus in the Mhadei basin, coupled with the lean-season scarcity, points towards a sustainable and practical resolution provided both states engage in meaningful negotiations with tribunal facilitation,” the report concludes.
CM Sawant’s response to the study signals a willingness to explore scientific and diplomatic solutions to the contentious Mhadei river dispute, which has seen long-standing disagreements between Goa and Karnataka.