Staff Reporter
Sankhali
Following reports about Karnataka’s efforts to divert the Mhadei water to the Malaprabha river at Nerse, near Khanapur, the WRD superintending engineer Dilip Naik, recently, visited the area where he found a steel fabrication unit.
Water Resources Minister, Subhash Shirodkar had directed the department to verify the facts and inspect the diversion sites after the September 19, 2024 report on Karnataka’s water diversion efforts.
Naik’s visit revealed that a steel fabrication unit has been set up as a temporary site office, besides that he found steel pipes, a stack of RCC railway sleepers, and heavy machinery covered in a tarpaulin sheet.
He has submitted his findings to the Goa government following the inspection.
Karnataka has completed the alignment of the pipeline for diverting water from the Bandura canal at Nerse to the Malaprabha river via a forest road, marking the site with cemented poles at regular intervals.
The state has obtained the necessary approvals for the Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for the Kalasa-Bandura Project in line with the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal’s allocation, while working to secure environmental and wildlife clearances.
At the Kalasa Project site in Kankumbi, water that once flowed towards Goa has been diverted into the Malaprabha river through RCC conduits since 2018.
The petitions filed by Goa regarding the project have been consolidated and will be heard by the Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sanjay Kumar, starting on January 20, 2025.
