Prawah’s Kankumbi inspection in monsoon will help Goa in SC: CM

Keri: As members of the Mhadei Prawah carried out a joint inspection of areas in the Mhadei/Mandovi basin for a second day, chief minister Pramod Sawant said that diversion of River Mhadei by Karnataka will be starkly visible to the Prawah authority due to it being the peak of the monsoon season. He said this is likely to help Goa’s case in the Supreme Court too.
“Mhadei Prawah is carrying out site inspections in Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka in the Mhadei basin. This is the right time. It has been our long-standing demand because if you want to see the diversion being done then the right time is now at the peak of the monsoon. You can see now how the water is going into Karnataka’s Malaprabha basin due to trenches dug by Karnataka. When one visits Kankumbi, Karnataka will be fully exposed. It is important for the Mhadei Prawah to witness this diversion. The Prime Minister has been briefed about the Mhadei issue. No injustice will be done to Goa,” said Sawant on Friday.
On the second day of the inspections too, the Prawah members were seen inspecting the Goa part of the Mhadei basin, not adhering to the authority’s initial schedule.
Sources said that Karnataka govt has been trying to postpone or cancel Prawah’s scheduled visit to the Kalasa project site at Kankumbi, Chorla, and the proposed sites of the hydroelectricity plant at Chapoli and Bhandura on the grounds that the basin in Karnataka is receiving heavy monsoonal rains.
The inspection was a demand made by Goa, to which Karnataka had raised objections. Karnataka had objected to any joint inspection, especially of the Kalasa-Bhandura water diversion project at Kankumbi.
The Mhadei Prawah will carry out its inspections across Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka up to July 7.
Chairperson of the Prawah Authority, PM Scot, was not present for the first half of the day, but joined the team at the Opa water treatment plant during the second half.
Officials of Goa’s water resources department explained how the waters of the Mhadei and its tributaries have been crucial in fulfilling the drinking and irrigation needs of the state.
They also told members that the river is vital for the sustenance of the fragile ecosystem of Goa.
In the morning session, the team visited the Cumbharjua canal that connects the Mandovi with the Zuari and Sarmanas in Pilgao, where the Valvonti joins the Mandovi. The team was also informed about the barrage of Ganjem, which has a storage capacity of 70 lakh cum.
Managing director of Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Rajesh Aminbhavi, additional chief secretary of WRD-Karnataka Rakesh Singh, chief engineer of the Konkan division of WRD-Maharashtra Milind Naik, and WRD-Goa secretary Subhash Chandra are part of the joint visit.