Karnataka to seek interim award from Mahadayi tribunal

Water Resources Minister M B Patil has said that Karnataka government was planning to file two petitions before the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal seeking interim award in water sharing issue.

Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, the minister said that of the two petitions, one will be for seeking permission to bring two tmc feet of water from Kalasa-Banduri to Malaprabha reservoir through canal immediately to supply drinking water for parched areas of North Karnataka. Under this project, instead of constructing reservoir, the State government wants to draw the water through lift irrigation. This is purely stop-gap arrangement as there is urgent requirement of drinking water in that region.

Another petition is for seeking nod for utilise 7.56 tmc feet of water including constructing reservoir at Kalasa, he said. The State government already held discussion with Karnataka legal team on water dispute headed by F S Nariman and will provide all required material to it. Though the State legal team was positive in filing petitions before the tribunal seeking interim relief, final decisions will be taken in a couple of days.

Patil was in New Delhi to take part in a meeting on interlinking of rivers, convened by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati.

In the meeting, Patil sought details from the Centre on its share of water if proposed linking of rivers-Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar is implemented. He said that said that in 1980, the diversion of surplus water (from Mahanadi and Godavari river basins) was estimated to be about 1,300 tmc feet and in which Karnataka would get 283 tmc feet of water per year.

However in 2010, the availability of surplus was revised to 718 tmc feet of water by the National Water Development Agency from the Ministry of Water Resources and allocations to Karnataka were abolished completely.The Minister demanded the Water Resources Ministry to clarify on this issue.