BJP a university of lies, says DK Shivakumar over Mahadayi river dispute

Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar blasted the BJP, calling the saffron party a university of lies, further claiming that the ruling party passed the detailed project report (DPR) of the Mahadeyi River, fearing Congress’s protest.

Karnataka and Goa are locked in a battle for the last three decades over sharing of water from the Mahadayi river which flows in both states. The issue has intensified in the backdrop of the forthcoming Assembly election in Karnataka.

The Mahadayi river, stretching 111 km, rises in the Western Ghats from Karnataka’s Belagavi district. It flows westward to enter Goa. The river is joined by a number of streams to form the Mahadayi which is one of two major rivers that flow through Goa. Mahadayi finally flows into the Arabian Sea at Panaji.

The Karnataka congress president said the BJP is a university of lies as it could not resolve the dispute even after being in power for the last three and a half years in power in Maharashtra and Karnataka and Goa.

“Why can’t they start the rest of the work? When it’s your state, your money, who’s stopping you from working?” said the Congress leader.

A major portion of the river’s stretch lies in Goa. The Mahadayi holds a special significance for Goa because it is one of the few sweet-water sources in the state.

The dispute over Mahadayi river began in the 1980s. The immediate reason was Karnataka’s decision to build a number of dams, canals and barrages to route the Mahadayi river water to the Malaprabha basin in order to meet the requirements of water-scarce districts of Bagalkot, Gadag, Dharwad and Belagavi.

Goa objected to Karnataka’s decision and moved the Supreme Court in 2006. It succeeded in getting the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal set up on November 16, 2010.

Goa argues that its population is dependent on the river’s natural path and any move to divert it would affect its fragile ecosystem.

Karnataka counters by saying the surplus from Mahadayi drains into the sea and, therefore, it should be better utilised by diverting it into the deficit basin in Malaprabha to meet the state’s various needs.