Goa will soon turn into desert if govt doesn't act now: Congress on Mahadayi dispute

"Dry days" have already begun in Goa, due to Karnataka's diversion of the Mahadayi river water and the state could soon turn into a desert if the Goa government does not act swiftly, Leader of Opposition, Digambar Kamat warned on Thursday.

Kamat also urged incumbent Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, to roll-back his decision to not present a white-paper to the people of the state on the measures taken by his government to protect Goa's interest in the ongoing interstate dispute with Karnataka.

"The dry days in Goa have already begun with reports of water from Mahadayi (also called Mhadei in Goa) basin already diverted by Karnataka. The entire state will transform into desert if we dont act sensibly and quickly," said Kamat, former Chief Minister of Goa.

Political heat linked to the Mahadayi issue has stepped up once again, after the Supreme Court last week assented to Karnataka’s request for notification of the terms of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal’s award. The Opposition claims, Goa’s counsel “did not even oppose” the move in the Supreme Court.

On Thursday (Feb 26) Chief Minister Pramod Sawant rejected a joint demand made by the Opposition MLAs for a white paper on the issue, while blaming the Opposition party Congress, for creating confusion in the inter-state dispute.

Kamat on Thursday, rejected the insinuation, while counter-alleging that Sawant has failed to create a political consensus on the contentious issue.

"The government itself has tried to politicise the issue. The Congress party has always kept out politics on Mahadayi and hence, I joined the all-party delegation to meet the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (last year) who eventually betrayed Goa," Kamat said.

"There are various claims and counter claims made by ruling as well as opposition parties and others on Mahadayi issue. The Government has also failed to take everyone into confidence and build a consensus on the issue of lifeline of Goa," the former Chief Minister said.

Goa and Karnataka are already battling out a two decade-long dispute over sharing of the Mahadayi river in the Supreme Court, after both parties expressed reservations about the award by the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal in 2018.