The Plot Twists Involving The Politics Of A River (Book Review)

The book, The River Mhadei: The Science and Politics of Diversion, published by Goa 1556, is a compilation of research essays on the river which traverses through three states — Karnataka, Goa, and Maharashtra. Written by experts — scientists, ecologists, legal scholars, historians, planners, journalists, activists, and community practitioners — it explores the environmental dispute over the damming and diversion of Mhadei’s waters.

At its core, the book documents the dispute around the sharing of Mhadei’s waters among three states, focusing on Karnataka’s Kalasa-Bhanduri Nala project that aims to divert the waters to the Malaprabha basin, and the 2018 Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal (MWDT) award. “This book is Goa’s contribution to the global debate on safeguarding rivers and making them sustainable. The river Mhadei is our case study,” states academician Peter Ronald deSouza, former director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, in the introduction.

Goa, the smallest state in India, is known for its west coast beaches, pristine Western Ghats, and the eleven rivers that flow across its breadth. Mandovi is the largest river here, known as Mhadei/Mahadayi in its upper reaches, originating in Degao near Khanapur, inside Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, entering Goa through the Sattari taluka. With a run of 111 km — 28.8 km through Karnataka, joined by three tributaries including Bhandura, and 81.2 km through Goa, joined by five tributaries.

The Mandovi river basin covers a little less than half of Goa’s geographical area (42.7%), while providing drinking water to 43% of the state’s population.

Inter-state dispute and tribunal

A key chapter in the book details the dispute over diversion and damming of Mhadei, written by  journalist Meera Mohanty. It began in the 1970s when Goa was still a union territory, and the then union government had declined the said project. It resurfaced in 1989 when the then Karnataka chief minister, S.R. Bommai, assured the then Goa chief minister, Pratapsingh Rane, that Goa would get a share of electricity generated by the project. The deal, however, fell through with the dismissal of Bommai’s government.

After several failed attempts, Karnataka devised the Kalasa Bhanduri project in 2002 to supply drinking water to the Dharwad and Hubli regions. It was approved in principle by the Union Ministry of Water Resources; however, owing to Goa’s request, the approval was kept in abeyance. In 2006, Karnataka laid the foundation of the project at Khanapur, while Goa petitioned the Supreme Court, seeking the formation of a tribunal and a stay on construction activities. The inter-state water tribunal MWDT was formed on November 16, 2010.

This chapter also delves into the role of activists, NGOs, and groups fighting to save Mhadei. It makes a comment on Goa’s way of protest which is seen through literature, art, theatre and community art projects. Mohanty opines such campaigns draw on symbolism and fail to engage with the realities and the people who are directly affected by this diversion — farmers, fishermen, or Dudhsagar (waterfall) tour operators.

In Karnataka, the protest is quite violent, led by pro-farmer lobbies and sugarcane unions. She observes that the issue of water scarcity is more immediate in Karnataka, whereas Goans have to imagine a future of water scarcity.

The MWDT award that came up in 2018 was notified in February 2020. It allocated 13.42 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water to Karnataka, of which 3.9 TMC is specifically diverted into the depleted Malaprabha river basin for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project; 1.33 TMC to Maharashtra; and 24 TMC to Goa. Despite being notified, the award was challenged by all three states in the Supreme Court. The central government has also set up a new authority, Mahadayi-PRAWAH (Progressive River Authority for Welfare and Harmony), to help implement the award. This interim award will be reviewed after August 31, 2048.

Ecology of the Mhadei region

The ecological biodiversity of the Mhadei river is the overarching theme of the book. Environmentalist and general secretary of Mhadei Bachao Abhiyaan, Rajendra Kerkar, in one of the chapters, states, “The Mahadayi basin is a tiger corridor, a bison resort, a bear habitat, a king cobra host, and the only home to the Wroughton’s free tailed bat (Otomops wroughtoni).”

Kerkar also discusses the Myristica swamps of the Western Ghats, which are believed to be 140 million years old. “Three IUCN red-listed species, namely, Syzygium travancoricum, Myristica fatua magnifica, and Semecarpus kathalekanesis, have been reported by researchers in the Mahadayi forests of Sattari,” he states.

Herpetologist Nirmal Kulkarni, in another chapter on the region’s lesser known biodiversity, highlights the Mhadei bio region — Mhadei WLS, Mollem National Park in Goa, Bhimgad WLS, Kali Tiger Reserve of Karnataka, and reserve forests of Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. These wet evergreen, mixed moist deciduous riverine forests showcase a large percentage of species which are site-specific, and any alteration of habitats arising from damming can result in irreversible damage. It lists a variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, including critically endangered species like the Amboli bush frog (Pseudophilautus amboli), and other endemic species of the Western Ghats.

Freshwater ecologist Vidyadhar Atkore and wildlife biologist Nandini Velho, talk about fish diversity found in the river. “The Deccan mahseer (Tor khudree), also known as khadas, is a huge migratory fish that may grow over a metre in length and weigh up to 50 kg. It is highly sensitive to human disturbances.” Parineeta Dandekar, associate co-ordinator for the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), in her chapter, also calls the mahseer an indicator of a healthy ecosystem, while also highlighting  the inadequate scientific hydrological data and water yield calculations in the Mhadei basin, as provided to the MWDT.

Mhadei when it turns Mandovi

Research scientist Helga do Rosario Gomes, in her chapter on Mhadei’s lower reaches, examines Karnataka’s argument that water reaching the sea is “wasted.” “The uninterrupted movement of water and sediment supports biodiversity, stabilises deltas and maintains critical economic activities,” she states. Gomes opines that damming will reduce water flow, increase salinity, and impact marine diversity. Mandovi also regulates the salinity of the Khazan farmlands, (reclaimed floodplain, protected by a bund, surrounded by mangroves) which are unique to Goa.

The Khazan farmlands form the heart of the chapter on sustainable urban planning, written by architects Leon Morenas and Manisha Rodrigues. They underscore that preserving the estuarine environment of the river will buffer Panjim city from floods, as the city rests on the reclaimed land in the floodplains of the Mhadei estuary.

The chapter also looks at water pollution owing to sewage discharge through the creeks and tourism-driven activities like the floating casinos, which, in another chapter, advocate Aurobindo Gomes Pereira calls “not only an eyesore but also an ecological concern.”

“Most of Panjim port and the riverfront, including public property like the ferry wharfs, jetties, and buildings of the Captain of Ports and Fisheries Department of the Government of Goa, have been converted into front offices of the seven “offshore” casinos currently operating in the mouth of the Mandovi. The large vessels are permanently anchored and block the natural flow of the river. Through a combination of political intrigue, interim arrangements, and the power of money, the casino cartels have managed to take control of almost all of Panjim’s 2.8 km stretch of riverfront, virtually hijacking the entire coastline,” he states.

Community and culture

‘Mhadei Amchi Mai’ (Mhadei is our mother) is an emotion attached to the river which has not only nurtured biodiversity but also human civilisation for thousands of years. Kerkar, in his chapter, mentions about prehistoric humans. It is also home to old agricultural practices known as ‘kumeri’ (slash and burn agriculture) and ‘puran sheti’ (silt-based cultivation). Its significance and cultural reverence are reflected in various river festivals — Sao Joao, Sangodd, Ufar, Mange Thapni — as mentioned by Dandekar in her chapter, calling it a “heritage river,” as it is associated with the highest number of riverine festivals in comparison with its size.

One can get a glimpse of this human-river relationship in educator Sujata Noronha’s chapter. She speaks about the ‘Nhoi: The Goa River Draw’, a community art project conducted with library communities situated along the banks of the Mhadei. With raw, intimate, and real stories shared by the locals, this chapter is a memory archive that makes one realise that rivers are not just flowing entities, they are nurturers that support lives, hone a culture and civilisation, and definitely a repository of stories, which need to flow naturally.

(Published under Creative Commons from Mongabay India)