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Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji
The Goa government has accused B N Nawalwala, secretary, Union Ministry of Water Resources, of impropriety for having allowed Karnataka to divert river Mhadei's waters to set up three hydroelectric projects near Malprabha.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar points out that Nawalwala gave a go ahead to the Karnataka government on the last day before his retirement. "Surprisingly, he was then given an extension in service," he said.
The state is now planning to move the Supreme Court against the secretary's decision.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will also meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and urge him to set up a tribunal to settle the dispute.
The letter issued by Nawalwala allows Karnataka to use 7.5 TMC water of river Mhadei for drinking purposes once the CWC allocates the quota for Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Though river Mhadei originates in the forests of Karnataka, a major portion of its basin lies in Goa. A little part of it also flows through Maharashtra. The river, as Mandovi, then joins the Arabian sea in Goa.
Official figures indicate that Goa covers 1580 sq km of Mhadei's basin, while Karnataka covers 375 sq km. The river's catchment area in Maharashtra is only 76 sq km.
Goa has been raising the issue before the CWC from the time Karnataka announced its plan to divert the river's water to Malprabha and construct seven dams and set up three hydroelectric projects.
"Karnataka is a water-deficit state and it just cannot be relied upon with the way they have been breaking laws in the Cauvery [Karnataka-Tamil Nadu] water dispute," Parrikar said.
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