Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday raised the issue of Mahadayi river water dispute between Karnataka and Goa in the Lok Sabha and sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Raising the matter during the Question Hour, Kharge said the nation was facing droughts and drinking water problems.

Karnataka’s Hubballi-Dharwad cities and the surrounding villages are facing acute water problem, he said, adding that the state required 7.56 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi river.

PM’s intervention sought

“The intervention of the prime minister is required to resolve the water problem. I request the prime minister to intervene,” he said.

Due to severe scarcity of water in North Karnataka, mainly in Hubballi-Dharwad and surrounding areas and villages in Belgaum districts, people of that region have been holding protests for the past several months.

If the Centre does not intervene and resolve the issue immediately, the situation may go out of control, Kharge said. Congress MPs from Karnataka – Dhruvanarayan, Muddahanumegowda, B N Chandrappa and B V Nayak – seconded Kharge.