Panaji, Aug 6 (IANS): The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has appointed the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee to study the salinity in Goa's Mhadei river, according to Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

"Moreover, you may also recall the discussions held on March 6, in respect of the Mahadayi River Water Dispute and as discussed in the meeting, taking into account the concerns raised by you regarding issue of salinity in Mahadayi river, this ministry has assigned National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee to take up the study of salinity of Mahadayi river and submit a report to this Ministry," Shekhawat said in a letter to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, which was released by the CMO to the media on Thursday.

Sawant in March this year, had written to Shekhawat, requesting the Union Jal Shakti Ministry to give the Goa government an opportunity to plead its case against a series of dam projects proposed by the Karnataka government across the Mhadei, an inter-state river which spans across Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Karnataka's proposal is currently being examined by the Union Ministry.

In its letter to the Union Ministry in March, Sawant had said that the dams were intended to divert water from the Mhadei river into the depleted basin of the Malaprabha river (also in Karnataka).

The diversion, Sawant had said, would lead to increased salinity in the Mhadei river and also caused "ecological devastation" in the state.