Bengaluru: With a few months to go before the assembly election in Karnataka, the Centre has approved the state’s detailed project report (DPR) for the long pending Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project, which is facing opposition from Goa and Maharashtra.
Announcing the Union government decision at the state assembly Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai called it “victory” of a 30-year-long struggle by farmers and a “gift” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the people of this region “who have fought” to get the project approved.
The plan is aimed at facilitating drinking water for 13 towns in drought-hit northern Karnataka, giving the BJP govt a much-needed boost about five months before the state polls.
“The path has been cleared for us. After the DPR, we will call for tenders and start construction of the pumphouse,” Bommai said, welling up as he expressed his ‘happiness’ that the project got approved during his term and while the winter session was underway in Belagavi.
The CM also alleged that no action was taken by the previous Congress-led governments at the Centre or the state. He also claimed that the Congress had opposed the release of water to Karnataka during its election campaign nearly a decade ago.
However, the Congress responded to the decision saying, “This is too little, too late”.
“The 2nd Jan,2023 Mahadayi Water Rally of @INCKarnataka at Nehru Stadium, Hubli has finally woken up the Modi govt from its deep slumber, after 8 years of being in power. This is too little, too late. Kannadigas, especially of Belagavi, Hubli-Dharwad won’t pardon BJP’s betrayal,” AICC general secretary incharge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said in a Twitter post.
A trilateral water dispute
The move is likely to cause further friction between the two neighbouring BJP-ruled states who are stakeholders in the inter-state water dispute.
Maharashtra and Karnataka chief ministers have taken turns to pass resolutions on the border dispute that has dominated proceedings in the respective winter sessions of both legislatures.
Earlier, Maharashtra had opposed the diversion of water proposed by Karnataka before a tribunal in 2018. Neighbouring Goa, for which the river is a lifeline, had backed the claim.
The project proposes to divert water from two tributaries of the Mahadayi river (also known as Mandovi) – Kalasa and Banduri – to the Malaprabha river, providing much needed drinking water to regions in Dharwad, Belagavi, Bagalkote and Gadag among others. These areas together make up the country’s second most arid region after Rajasthan.
The approval would help Karnataka to get 1.5 tmc ft for drinking and irrigation purposes and can divert 2.18 tmc ft to Bhandura and 1.72 tmc ft to Kalasa dams.
Like the Cauvery river in south Karnataka, the Mahadayi has a strong connection with the people in the northern districts. The issue of the river’s water distribution has seen several agitations in the last few decades.
The Mahadayi river originates in Karnataka and has a basin area of 2,032 sq km. Of the total area, 375 sq km lies in Karnataka, 77 sq km in Maharashtra and remaining 1580 sq km is in Goa.
Also read: How census-based delimitation for Lok Sabha seats could shake up politics & disadvantage south