Kalasa-Banduri dam is 'ecologically destructive': Congress

Accusing Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of not treating the Union Environment Ministry's nod for construction of a dam across the Mhadei river with the seriousness the issue deserves, the Congress on Friday said that Karnataka's Kalasa-Banduri project was "hydrologically destructive" that would cause "ecological disaster" in Goa.

"We wonder why is Goa CM trying to treat the clearance without the seriousness it deserves," the petition stated.

In a petition to the state administration, the Congress has also accused Sawant of hypocrisy, claiming that while on the one hand, the Chief Minister refers to the Mhadei river as his "mother", he metes out "step-motherly treatment" to the interstate river.

"We are shocked to know that the MoEF (Union Ministry of Environment and Forests) has granted Environment Clearance for an ecologically destructive project by the government of Karnataka, costing Rs 841 crore, without consulting Goa, considering political interest of the BJP at the cost of destroying the ecology of Goa," the petition said.

"Goa's ecology is completely dependent on free flow of the Mhadei river and the diversion would affect the state's ecology and its drinking needs. The situation for Goa will be ecologically horrible if a hydrologically destructive project of Karnataka is permitted," the petition further said.

It also urged the state government to pressurise the MoEF to withdraw its green clearance for the project.

The Kalasa-Banduri dam aims to divert water from the Mhadei basin to the deficit basin of the Malaprabha river ostensibly for drinking purposes.

The Mhadei river originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through Maharashtra.

An interstate water dispute Tribunal, set up by the Central government, after hearing the over two-decade long dispute between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra over Mhadei river water sharing had, in its award in August 2018, allotted 13.42 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) from the Mhadei river basin (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) to Karnataka. Maharashtra has been allotted 1.33 TMC.

The Goa government has subsequently filed a special leave petition challenging some provisions of the award and has also accused Karnataka of illegally diverting water from the Mhadei basin, even before the Award is formally implemented.

( With inputs from IANS )