Justice Rebello questions Goa’s planning for Mhadei water projects

Panaji: Former chief justice of the Allahabad high court (Retd) Justice Ferdino Rebello on Tuesday asked whether Goa has done any scientific work for utilising the additional 24 TMC of water allocated to Goa for 59 projects, including hydropower generation, by the 2018 order of the Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal.Speaking at Goa University, he said the tribunal’s award comes up for review after Aug 31, 2048, and the clock has started ticking for the 30-year period since 2018.“As of today, seven years have passed, and no one is aware of the steps taken by govt and/or, for that matter, by the ‘Mahadayi Water Management Authority’ (MWMA) constituted under the award,” he said.He asked if Goa is in a position to provide storage for the 59 projects, more so considering that most projects are notified in wildlife sanctuaries or forests, and asked about the impact these would have on the ecology and environment.The conservator of forests, Goa, refused to grant permission under the provisions of the Wildlife Act for the diversion of the Kalasa nullah, and that is also the subject matter of a challenge, he said. “If Kalasa diversion cannot be allowed because of the provisions of the Wildlife Act, then what happens to the projects the tribunal has allowed Goa to proceed with, most of which are in the wildlife sanctuaries or forests?” he asked.

In a letter to the chief minister on Jan 13 this year, he made several suggestions, including constituting expert committees to consider shortcomings of Goa in the findings by the tribunal and to expedite the process of implementing projects which the tribunal identified that Goa could construct to utilise 24 TMC of water allotted.