Mahadayi: Centre to convene meeting of chief secretaries

 Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on Wednesday promised a delegation comprising Karnataka BJP leaders that she would direct the Union Water Resources secretary to convene a meeting of the chief secretaries of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra to resolve the Mahadayi river water dispute.

Karnataka BJP unit president Pralhad Joshi, who led the delegation, told reporters that “the Union minister promised us that she would direct Union Water Resources secretary Shashi Shekhar to convene the meeting of chief secretaries of the three states soon to address the issue”.

The delegation requested the minister to explore the possibility of out-of-court settlement of the long-pending water-sharing dispute, following demand from the people of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag which were facing acute drinking water scarcity.

Though the Tribunal had been set up following the direction of the Supreme Court to resolve the issue, there is a clamour for finding an early solution, as it is a drinking water project, the leaders explained to the minister.

Kalasa-Banduri project

The Kalasa-Banduri Nala project is undertaken by the Government of Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag. It involves building barrages across Kalasa and Banduri, the two tributaries of the Mahadayi river, to divert 7.56 tmc of water to the Malaprabha river, which supplies the drinking water needs of the twin cities.

In 2002, the Centre gave clearance to Karnataka to divert water from Mahadayi. However, the project was stalled after Goa raised objections saying the proposed project would lead to drying up of its lifeline Mandovi river, which is also called Mahadayi in Karnataka.