Mahadayi interim order tomorrow

The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal is expected to pronounce an interim order on Wednesday on Karnataka’s plea for permission to divert 7 tmcft of water from Mahadayi River to supply drinking water to drought-hit Belagavi and Hubballi-Dharwad cities and the surrounding villages.

The tribunal headed by J N Panchal concluded the hearing on Monday and reserved order for Wednesday.

Atmananda Nadakarni, representing the Goa government, said that if Karnataka implemented the Kalasa-Banduri project to divert Mahadayi water, it would prove disastrous for the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats as the proposed project was deep inside the forest.

Rejecting Karnataka’s claim of low inflow to Malaprabha reservoir due to poor rainfall in the catchment area, Nadakarni attributed it to lift irrigation projects that had come along the Malaprabha river.

Fali S Nariman, representing Karnataka, said that though there was good rainfall in Khanapur taluk this year, inflow to Malaprabha River remained poor and the storage in Malaprabha reservoir was lower than last year.

With settlements coming up over the years in this region, there is no scope for building lift irrigation projects, he said.

Karnataka wants to build a canal to link Kalasa and Banduri, the tributaries of the Mahadayi River to divert 7.56 tmcft of water to the Malaprabha River.