Panaji, July 27 : Goa Environment and Forest Minister Rajendra Arlekar on Wednesday welcomed the interim order of the Mhadei interstate water tribunal directing the Karnataka government not to divert 7.56 TMC water from the Mhadei river to the Malaprabha basin.
"It has been upheld by the tribunal that our demand has got sanctity. This is an interim order and it will be confirmed in the future because our demand is just. Not simply from the perspective of law but also from the people's point of view. Our position on the Mhadei diversion issue is in the interest of the people of Karnataka and Goa," Arlekar said.
Goa and Karnataka are currently battling out a dispute over the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across the waters of the Mhadei river at a central tribunal. Mhadei, also known as the Mandovi river, is known as a lifeline in the northern parts of the state. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa.
While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa. Karnataka plans to construct seven dams on the river, aimed at diverting the waters into its water-starved Malaprabha basin in north Karnataka.
