Staff Reporter
Bicholim
After the issue of the diversion of the Mhadei River by Karnataka, environmentalists have now hit out against the state government over its nod to the construction of the Virdi dam by Maharashtra. They have warned that the dam will impact both the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mhadei basin’s ecology.
Maharashtra is constructing the dam across the Kattika nallah, a tributary of the Valvanti river, in Dodamarg taluka. At the fourth meeting of the Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony (PRAWAH) held in Bengaluru recently, consent was granted to the project following no objection from Goa and Karnataka.
“Despite the matter being sub judice in the Supreme Court, Maharashtra resumed work without securing the mandatory statutory clearances,” said environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar. He pointed out that petitions by Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka seeking enhancement of their water share are still pending before the apex court.
After a gap of seven years, Maharashtra resumed work on the dam two years ago without obtaining environmental clearance, Kerkar said. The dam is 736 metres long and 48.375 metres high, with a live storage capacity of 14.138 MCM. He added that work had been halted in February 2015 after the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) ordered that construction could resume only after all statutory and environmental clearances were secured. Bicholim-based environmentalist Ramesh Gawas also criticised the Goa government’s inaction, alleging it is not serious about the Virdi dam issue. “The dam will impact the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and the Mhadei basin’s ecology. Despite this, the Goa government has given its consent,” he said. The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary lies just three kilometres from the dam site.
“Virdi dam will affect wildlife and Goa stands to gain nothing. The Goa government must take this issue seriously before giving its consent to the project,” Kerkar added.
The MWDT, in its final award on August 2, 2018, had allocated 1.33 TMC feet of water to Maharashtra for basin use. However, Kerkar pointed out that the water from the dam would not remain within the Mhadei basin as claimed, but would instead be diverted through an underground canal to Maharashtra, which is nearing completion.
He also warned that Maharashtra’s proposed diversion schemes, including one across the Hattaraga Nallah in the Chorla Ghat region, would drastically reduce water flow in the Valvanti river. “The river supports the drinking water needs of Sattari, Bicholim, and Bardez talukas. All the water treatment plants dependent on Valvanti will be severely affected, resulting in major environmental implications,” he said.
Gawas alleged that a bandhara has been constructed on the river to supply raw water to a mining company. “Why is the WRD minister tolerating this?” he asked. “In the pursuit of monetary gains, some political leaders are ignoring the environmental costs and damage to natural water resources,” he said, warning that the people of Goa will ultimately suffer if the government fails to protect forests and water sources.
