Goa govt to send notice to K'taka resort for blocking water

Goa government today decided to issue a show-cause notice to a private resort in Karnataka for allegedly blocking the flow of a river, which has resulted in the "drying up of a waterfall" located on the state's border.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar held an emergency meeting in the capital city today with a legal team to discuss the issue of blocking of the water flow of a tributary of Mhadei river to Surla waterfall located on the border of both the states.
"It has been decided to issue a show-cause notice to the owner of Delta Resort, who has put sand bags and completely blocked the flow towards the waterfall," Goa Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni told reporters after the meeting.

Goa is already in water dispute with Karnataka after the latter decided to construct dams across Mhadei river, which is also called as Mandovi downstream in the state.
Nadkarni said the area in which the water has been blocked by the hotel management is an "eco-sensitive zone".
"Goa Forest department is directed to issue the notice under Wildlife Conservation Act," he said.

Goa government has also decided to raise the issue before Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal during the hearing on Mandovi river diversion proposal scheduled on April 27.
The State government has already rejected Karnataka's proposal for an out of court settlement and said the dispute should be resolved through the Water Disputes Tribunal.

Karnataka is seeking to draw 7.2 TMC ft water from the Kalasa-Banduri streams, the tributaries of Mhadei river, and divert them to the Malaprabha river to quench the thirst of people of several towns and villages, including Hubballi-Dharwad.