Karnataka gets 13.52 tmcft of Mahadayi water

The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal on Tuesday allocated 13.42 tmcft of water to Karnataka from Mahadayi river, including 5.40 tmcft for drinking and irrigation. The remaining 8.02 tmcft could be utilised for hydropower generation.

The tribunal, headed by Justice J M Panchal, allocated 24 tmcft to Goa in addition to the current utilisation of 9.39 tmcft against its demand of 122.60 tmcft and 1.33 tmcft to Maharashtra against its demand of 6.35 tmcft.

“The tribunal assessed total the 188.06 tmcft of water in Mahadayi basin and allocated 38.75 tmcft among the three states of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, and the remaining goes to the sea and other environment purposes,” Mohan Katarki, the advocate representing Karnataka told DH.

Out of total allocation of 13.42 tmcft, the tribunal allowed Karnataka to utilise 1.5 tmcft for Mahadayi basin (Belagavi district) consumption.

The tribunal also permitted the diversion of 3.90 tmcft of water from Mahadayi basin to Malaprabha reservoir by building one barrage each across Kalasa and Banduri, tributaries of Mahadayi river (2.18 tmcft of water diversion from Bandura and 1.72 tmcft from Kalasa).

Karnataka proposes to utilise this water from Malaprabha reservoir to provide drinking water to Hubballi-Dharwad, Kundgol and 18 surroundings villages. Karnataka was allowed to set up a hydropower project at Kotni in Belagavi district from 8.02 tmcft of water.

The tribunal also asked the Mahadayi Water Management Authority to implement the final award and it will be valid till 2048.

All states including Karnataka can utilise the water and implement the schemes as specified by the tribunal only after preparing fresh detailed project reports and getting all statutory clearances.

Till then, the 2014 interim order of the tribunal will continue.

In a 12-volume award, the tribunal said the equitable distribution of Mahadayi waters among three states is “neither necessary nor feasible” at this stage. 

Karnataka, which locked horns with Goa on sharing of the Mahadayi river water, demanded 36.55 tmcft including 7.56 tmcft of water to provide drinking water to parched Hubballi-Dharwad and surrounding villages.

In 2002, the then NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee had given its in-principle approval for diversion of Mahadayi water but it was strongly opposed by Goa. Then the matter went to the Supreme Court.