Bhandura nala diversion project can cause desertification in regions of Karnataka: Report

The report states that the project violates environmental laws such as Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Environment Protection Act, 1986 among others.

Hubballi: The proposed Bhandura nala diversion project, part of the Mahadayi river diversion project, is untenable in the long term and it can open up serious possibilities of advancing the desertification process of north Karnataka and Malaprabha basin, says a report prepared by Save North Karnataka Citizens Alliance.

The report-- A comprehensive report on Bhandura Nala project and desertification of North Karnataka-- prepared by scientists, researchers, and experts from Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad and other parts of the country, states that the project violates environmental laws such as Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Environment Protection Act, 1986 among others. The report also highlights that water awarded for diversion (2.18 tmc ft of water) at the cost of irreparable damage to the forest, irreversible ecological losses and burden on the State exchequer overweighs the cost to benefit ratio.

The central water commission has given its technical clearance to the modified detailed project report submitted by the Karnataka government to draw 3.90 tmc ft of water out of which 2.18 tmc ft of water needs to be lifted from Bhandura nala and 1.72 tmc ft of water from Kalasa nala. As the Goa government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the tribunals verdict, the apex court has asked Karnataka to get all the necessary clearances before proceeding. Karnataka is awaiting final approval under Forest Protection Act from Union government.

The report has been prepared based on the government data and scientific analysis of research works of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, IIT-Bombay, ISRO, IMD, MoEF&CC, ATREE, CEC, BARC (Punjab), Sacon, WRI, KSNDMA and others. The report says that there are scientific studies to show that stream diversions in forested headwater catchments have cascading effects such as forest degradation, impact on water cycle, desertification, microclimate change, and social and economic disruption.

The report claims that diversion of Bhandura nala could reduce evapotranspiration (decreased cloud formation and reduced precipitation) resulting in land drier and disrupting rainfall patterns. The eminent scientists, forest officials, hydrologists and others, who have co-authored the report, say that in the long term it could result in perennial streams becoming seasonal. “Agriculture systems can collapse, reduce water quality and increase temperature,” says the report.

Quoting ISRO’s 2021 report—Desertification and land degradation Atlas—Alliance says that Karnataka already ranks fifth nationally under significant land degradation (6.96 million ha of land) and the diversion of land from Bhandura project could risk further forest degradation and irreversible ecological decline.

“Reaching of freshwater of Mahadayi to Zuari estuaries in Goa is crucial for preventing saline intrusion from Arabian Sea and sustaining brackish-water ecosystems. Diversion of water will raise salinity at estuaries and can have cascading impact on monsoon and regional climate destabilization,” it says.

Terming the project ‘another Yettinahole in the making’, the experts suggest that there are several cost-effective and ecologically viable alternatives to river diversion.

“Desilting the Renukasagar reservoir on Malaprabha river will make available six tmc ft of water at a fractional cost (around Rs 50 cr to Rs 100 cr) of the river diversion project. To divert 2.18 tmc ft of water the State is expected to spend Rs 800cr to Rs 1,000 cr,” the report says and adds that reclaiming and restoring the flow of Bennihalla (another stream in Dharwad) will provide nearly three tmc ft of water.

The Malaprabha basin faces an acute water crisis exacerbated by unsustainable sugarcane cultivation which consumes 137 tmc ft of water annually though the basin’s water availability for agriculture is just 48 tmc ft.

The citizens alliance also highlighted that the project is being highlighted as a drinking water project for parts of North Karnataka to avoid legal complications and ease of getting permission. Detailed project report of Kalsa-Bhanduri project says it would provide water to parched areas of Gadag, Bagalkot, Dharwad and Belagavi. However, a project proposal from Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development And Finance Corporation, which intends to supply drinking water to the same villages in these districts, says that there is sufficient water in Malaprabha reservoir to meet the drinking water needs till 2041.