Mahadayi river diversion study prompts Goa protests

• A protest occurred in Goa following the publication of a scientific paper on the Mahadayi river by scientists from the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Hyderabad.

• The dispute over the watersharing agreement from the river has lasted over two decades, with the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal’s order five years ago.

• The paper assessed the water budget of the river using rainfall mapping and rainfall run-off model.

• The river basin is spread across three states – Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.

• The tribunal permitted the Karnataka government to use 1.72 tmcft of water from Kalasa and 2.18 tmcft from Bhandura.

• Both states have challenged the tribunal’s verdict before the Supreme Court.

• Members of the Mhadei Movement and the Revolutionary Goans Party (RGP) staged a protest outside the NIO complex near Goa’s Dona Paula.