Mahadayi water sharing inevitable, says Goa CM

Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday that sharing the water of the Mahadayi river with other states was "inevitable".

"One has to understand that 52 km of the river runs through Goa, 35 km through Karnataka and 16 km through Maharashtra. As such, sharing of water of Mahadayi river is inevitable as it passes through all the three states," said Parrikar. He said that as the river passes through three states, each of them have some right over its water.

He was responding to questions on the crucial water dispute during a press briefing.

"If someone thinks Karnataka will not get a share out of the tribunal judgment, I think he is living in a fools' paradise. But at the same time, Karnataka cannot take or divert water from Mahadayi basin to another basin. It has to use it for drinking purposes or utilise it within the basin," he added.

Parrikar told reporters that the issue before the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal was about diversion of water from the basin and to "ascertain whether the Mahadayi basin is deficit or not."

He informed that as per the Interstate River Water Dispute Act, one cannot divert water from a deficit basin to another basin adding that "we have proved it with documentary evidence that the Mahadayi basin is a deficit one."

Goa and Karnataka have a disagreement over sharing of Mahadayi river waters. He reiterated that the interests of Goa would not be compromised on the Mahadayi river issue.

PTI