MAHADAYI RIVER - GEOGRAPHY
News: Mahadayi
water sharing row between Goa, Karnataka: What is the issue, why it has flared
up
What's in the news?
● Karnataka’s
decision to go ahead with a water diversion project on river Mahadayi has
escalated its long-standing dispute on the issue with neighbouring Goa.
Kalasa-Banduri Nala Project:
● The
Kalasa Banduri Nala project aims to divert
water from Mahadayi to satisfy the drinking water needs of Belagavi, Dharwad,
Bagalkot and Gadag districts.
Dispute:
● Though
the project was first proposed in the early 1980s, it has remained on paper
owing to a dispute between Karnataka,
Goa and Maharashtra. As per plans, barrages are to be built against Kalasa
and Banduri streams - tributaries of Mahadayi and water diverted towards
Karnataka’s parched districts.
● The
project has been a long-standing demand of Karnataka residents set to benefit
from it. With Assembly elections due this year, the state government, despite
the petitions pending in the SC, has decided to go ahead with the project,
after securing a go-ahead from the Central Water Commission (CWC).
● A
clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) is
still awaited.
Mahadayi River:
● Mahadayi
originates inside the Bhimgad Wildlife
Sanctuary in the Belagavi district of Karnataka and flows into the Arabian Sea
in Goa.
● The
tributaries of Mandovi or Mhadei include Nerul River, St Inez Creek, Rio de
Ourém, Mapusa River, Valvanti River, Udnai River, Dudhsagar River, Ragada River
and Kotrachi Nadi.
● River
Basin Distribution: Karnataka, Goa and parts of Maharashtra.
Goa's stake:
● The
Mahadayi/Mandovi River is described as the lifeline
of the Indian state of Goa.
● The
Mandovi and the Zuari are the two
primary rivers in the state of Goa.
● Mandovi
joins with the Zuari at a common creek at Cabo Aguada, forming the Mormugao.
● Panaji,
the state capital and Old Goa, the former capital of Goa, are both situated on
the left bank of the Mandovi.