Panaji, June 26 (IANS) Ahead of the Assembly session in Goa, the Mhadei Water Management Authority (PRAWAH) will inspect areas in Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka to check the flow of water during the monsoon season, a state minister said on Wednesday.
Water Resource Department Minister Subhash Shirodkar, addressing a press conference here, said that the PRAWAH has informed the state government about its schedule to visit the Mhadei basin and its stretches.
“The committee will start the inspection from Maharashtra on July 4. It will visit Goa on July 5 and 6. On the fourth day before flying to Bengaluru from Belgavi in Karnataka, it will visit the Kankumbi, and Kalsa-Banduri areas,” Shirodkar said, adding that a second meeting of PRAWAH will be held in Bengaluru on July 8.
He also said that the committee will inspect the proposed Virdi dam project in Maharashtra and several places in Goa, including the Dudhsagar waterfall and other dams dependent on Mhadei water.
Shirodkar said the committee members will check the usage of Mhadei water by all these states.
“They will check the lift irrigation projects and see how the states are dependent on Mhadei water,” the minister said.
Shirodkar also said the committee might want to check the flow of water during monsoon, hence they planned it next month.
Shirodkar had earlier warned Karnataka that a third contempt petition would be filed for resuming work to allegedly divert Mhadei water to the Malaprabha basin.
“This is contempt of court. Hence if needed, we will file a contempt petition in the Supreme Court. We have already filed two petitions against Karnataka,” Shirodkar had said.
The monsoon session of the Goa Assembly will take place from July 15 to August 7, wherein the opposition parties are reportedly planning to grill the government on the Mhadei issue.
Mhadei originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji. While the river traverses 28.8 km in Karnataka, it is 81.2 km in length in Goa.
Karnataka plans to construct dams on the river, aimed at diverting water into its water-starved Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka.
–IANS
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