Why in news?
- The Supreme Court passed an interim order allowing an application by the State of Karnataka to notify the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal’s award.
- The implementation of the award would, however, be subject to the final judgment of the Supreme Court in the civil appeals filed by Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, challenging the allocation of water from the Mahadayi river among them
Mahadayi(Mandovi) river and backgrounder of the dispute
- Lifeline of the Indian state of Goa
- The Mandovi and the Zuari are the two primary rivers in the state of Goa.
- Mandovi joins with the Zuari at a common creek at Cabo Aguada, forming the Mormugao harbour
- The sharing of the waters of this river is a cause of dispute between the governments of Karnataka and Goa.
- The Karnataka government proposes to divert some water from the Mahadayi river to the Malaprabha River basin as part of the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, as approximately 188 tmcft of water at 75% dependability is available in the river.
- Mahadayi Water Tribunal under Interstate River Water Disputes Act has been constituted to decide the sharing of the river waters by the riparian states.
- In August 2018, Mahadayi Water Tribunal verdict permitted Goa to use 24 tmcft (excluding the 9.395 tmcft prevailing uses), Karnataka to use 5.4 tmcft (including 3.9 tmcft for export outside the basin) and Maharashtra to use 1.33 tmcft for consumptive purposes
