Mahadayi river: Goa seeks SC order to restrain Karnataka from works at Kalsa Banduri project

The Goa government has approached the Supreme Court to restrain the Karnataka government from taking any step for diversion of Mahadayi river water at proposed Kalsa-Banduri dam constructed for making available drinking water in parched areas of Hubballi-Dharwad and others parts in North Karnataka.

"With diversion of water, Goa's lifeline faces imminent treat of choking because of reduction of water flow and consequent disruption of its ecology due to change in its profile," the application settled by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi stated.

This has come days after Goa had on February 20 consented before the top court to allow implementation of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal's decision of August 14, 2018.

A bench of Justice D Y Chandrachud and Ajay Rastogi is to take up the application on Monday, March 2.

The state maintained that Karnataka had carried out act of blocking the flow of Mahadayi river resulting into diversion of water into Malaprabha basin which still continued despite a specific order against it by the tribunal on April 17, 2014.

Citing a news report on Karnataka making budget allocation for the Kalsa-Banduri project, the Goa government sought a direction to restrain it from acting upon any approvals from the Union government for diversion of water outside the basin.

It also asked the court to allow a joint inspection of the site by a team of officials from three states or Central Water Commission.

In its application, the Goa government contended Maharashtra and Karnataka must be restrained from carrying out any construction activity or taking any step towards implementation of Tribunal's decision, as three special leave petitions by the basin states were still pending before the top court.

The Goa government further claimed the diversion of Mahadayi river to Malaprabha basin was of irreversible nature and threatened the very concept of intergenerational equity, resulting into a large scale destruction of the prime and unique habitat of rare species of flora and fauna in the Western Ghat.