Goa ready to give Mahadayi river water for Karna's drinking

Following a meeting with Karnataka BJP leaders, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today said that Goa was ready to give "reasonable and justified" amount of the Mahadayi river water to the neighbouring state for its drinking needs.
Karnataka BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa and other leaders met Parrikar in the presence of party president Amit Shah in Delhi over the Mahadayi river water sharing issue yesterday.
In a letter written to Yeddyurappa today, Parrikar said Goa will not oppose giving water to Karnataka for its drinking needs.
"However, the same needs to be discussed bilaterally as suggested by the Honourable Tribunal (Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal)," Parrikar said in the letter, copies of which were distributed at his press conference here.

Goa and Karnataka are locked in a two-decade-old dispute over the river as Karnataka is planning to build a dam on it. The river originates in Karnataka before flowing into Goa where it is called Mandovi.
Yeddyurappa, the former Karnataka chief minister, had also written a letter to Parrikar yesterday over utilisation of 7.56 TMC water from the Mahadayi for drinking water needs of drought-prone north Karnataka.

Parrikar, in his letter to Yeddyurappa, said though the issue of drinking water is one of the matters pending before the Tribunal, "In principle, the state of Goa would not oppose the reasonable and justified quantum of water meant to be utilised for drinking".

"The government of Goa understands that access to the drinking water is a basic human need....on humanitarian ground, the Government of Goa is willing to consider the request to work out an amicable settlement strictly restricted to drinking water only to the drought-prone areas," it said.
The discussion shall be without prejudice to the rights and contentions before the Tribunal, Parrikar's letter said.
Talking to reporters, Parrikar said "how much water Karnataka would receive would be worked out through the talks".
The Tribunal too had suggested that the two states reach an "out of court" understanding, he added.
The chief minister also said that "Goa does not trust the Congress chief minister (Siddaramaiah) of Karnataka, hence the letter was sent to Yeddyurappa".

Earlier in the day, Vinod Palyecar, Goa water resources minister, who belongs to the Goa Forward Party, a BJP ally, said the stand of the coastal state remained unchanged.
Palyecar was reacting to the meeting between Shah, Parrikar and Yedyurappa.
"Our @Goaforwardparty & my WRD depts stand remains unchanged on #Mhadei. We are committed to protect our mother #Mhadei & protect each drop of water," Palyecar tweeted.