Goa asks State to protect Kalasa canal wall

The Goa Water Resources Department has written to Belagavi Deputy Commissioner N Jayaram to provide protection to the wall built in the Kalasa canal at Kankumbi in Khanapur taluk to prevent diversion of water to river Malaprabha.

On September 11, the department’s Chief Engineer S T Nadkarni wrote to the Belagavi deputy commissioner, stating the Mahadayi River Dispute Tribunal in its interim order on April 17, 2014, has directed Karnataka not to divert water of Kalasa canal and river Mahadayi. A wall to check water diversion  has been built in the canal under the supervision of superintendent engineers of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The Goa government learnt about a meeting at Kankumbi in which protesters vowed to demolish the wall that prevents water diversion. Diverting the Mahadayi water to Malaprabha would amount to contempt and the Goa government would move the tribunal, the chief engineer cautioned. Jayaram said the letter had been sent to the State government.