In its interim order on February 20, the Supreme Court has allowed the plea of the Karnataka government for implementation of the final award by a tribunal for sharing of water between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra from the Mahadayi river.

The interim order was passed by a Bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta after hearing the counsel from the three states. The Bench said the final hearing in the matter will take place in July.

It also said the interim order is subject to the final outcome of the petitions filed by the three states against the tribunal’s award.

What was the dispute all about?

Controversy over the sharing of the water of the Mahadayi or Mandovi river between Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa is, perhaps, more than 30 years old, since attempts for negotiations appear to have been initiated by the central government as far back as 1985.

The issue reached a flashpoint in 2002 when Karnataka decided to implement the inter-connecting canal from Kalasa Nala to Malaprabha river for diversion of waters of Mahadayi basin to Malaprabha basin.

In July 2002, Goa made a request to the Centre, under Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, for constitution of the tribunal under the said Act, and refer the disputes for adjudication and decision thereof.

Thereafter, efforts appear to have been made by the Centre to settle the aforesaid disputes amicably. However, when it appeared that the disputing states were not ready to pursue the negotiation process further, the Centre concluded that the disputes contained in the request of Goa of July 2002 could not be resolved by negotiation and, as such, initiated further action in the matter as per the provisions of Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, and rules made there under.

The current tribunal - Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal - was constituted by the Centre on November 16, 2010 to adjudicate inter-state river water disputes between the three basin states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

In August 2018, the tribunal ruled that Karnataka will get 13.4 thousand million cubic feet (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) of water from the river, while Goa and Maharashtra will be allowed to use 24 TMC and 1.33 TMC of water respectively.

Kalasa-Banduri Nala project

The Karnataka government, which has locked horns with Goa on the larger issue of sharing Mahadayi river water, had petitioned the tribunal seeking the release of 7.56 TMC of water for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project.

The Kalasa-Banduri Nala (diversion) project, which will utilise 7.56 TMC of water from the inter-state Mahadayi river, is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belgaum and Gadag.

It involves building barrages across Kalasa and Banduri, the tributaries of the Mahadayi River, to divert 7.56 TMC water to the Malaprabha river which fulfils the drinking water needs of the twin cities.

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