ಮಹದಾಯಿ / ಕಳಸಾ-ಬಂಡೂರಿ ನೀರಿನ ವಿವಾದ: ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಜನರಿಗಾಗಿ ಸರಳವಾಗಿ ವಿವರಣೆThe Mahadayi / Kalasa-Banduri Water Dispute, Explained Simply for the Common Man

The Mahadayi / Kalasa-Banduri Water Dispute, Explained Simply for the Common Man

If you live in Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Gadag or Bagalkot, you have heard the words "Mahadayi" and "Kalasa-Banduri" your whole life — usually shouted at a protest or printed on a banner. But what is the fight actually about? Let us strip away the legal jargon and explain it the way it should be explained: as a question of whether ordinary North Karnataka families get drinking water in their taps.

What is the Mahadayi river?

The Mahadayi (called *Mhadei* in Goa) is a small but important river that is born in the Western Ghats inside Karnataka's Belagavi district, then flows west into Goa and out to the Arabian Sea. Because it crosses a state boundary, three states share an interest in it: Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

What is the Kalasa-Banduri project?

Kalasa and Banduri are two small streams (*nalas*) that feed the Mahadayi. The idea — first proposed back in 1980 — is simple: build small barrages on these two streams and divert a part of the monsoon surplus into the Malaprabha river basin, which supplies drinking water to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and surrounding districts (Vajiram & Ravi; PW OnlyIAS).

This is not a luxury. The project was born out of pain. In June 1980, farmers in Navalgund and Naragund in Dharwad district rose up over the failure of the Malaprabha command area to deliver water; the agitation turned violent and four people died, including two policemen (RACE IAS). For more than forty years, the people of this region have been asking for the same thing: a reliable drink of water.

What did the Tribunal decide?

In August 2018, the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal gave its final award, dividing the usable water roughly like this (India Water Portal; The South First):

• Karnataka: 13.42 TMC (of which roughly 5.4 TMC is for consumptive use including drinking water, and about 8 TMC is for hydro-power)
• Goa: 24 TMC
• Maharashtra: 1.33 TMC

(*Note: sources report Karnataka's share slightly differently — the headline figure is 13.42 TMC, with the drinking-water diversion portion quoted as roughly 3.9–5.5 TMC depending on the source. We flag this honestly rather than pretend one exact number.*) The Tribunal assessed the basin's usable water and gave the largest single share to Goa. Karnataka got a fraction of the total — and even that fraction is mostly to keep taps running, not to grow cash crops.

The Centre formally notified this award in the official gazette on 27 February 2020, which legally cleared Karnataka to proceed (India Water Portal).

So why is the water still not flowing?

Here is the part that should make every North Karnataka voter sit up. Even after the Tribunal award and the gazette notification, the project remains stuck:

• Goa challenged the award in the Supreme Court, and other appeals are pending (ETV Bharat).
• In July 2024, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife deferred forest and wildlife clearance for the Kalasa diversion, pointing to Goa's pending Supreme Court petition and the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary (Down To Earth; The South First).

In plain words: the award is on paper, but the water is not in the tap.

Why this is a regional-justice issue

We want to be fair. Goa has every right to protect its river, its forests and its wildlife — those are real concerns and we do not dismiss them. But North Karnataka also has a right that is just as real and far more basic: drinking water for its towns. A drinking-water project is among the most modest, most humane uses any region can ask of a shared river.

For decades, the people between the Krishna and the Ghats have watched decisions about *their* water get made far away — in tribunals, in Delhi clearance committees, in courtrooms. That distance is exactly the problem the Kittur Kalyan Karnataka Sena exists to close. North Karnataka does not need charity; it needs its lawful share delivered, its files cleared without endless delay, and its voice heard with the same weight as anyone else's.

The Mahadayi fight is not Kannadiga against Goan. It is a test of whether a thirsty region's basic, legally-recognised claim can finally move from the courtroom to the kitchen tap. We will keep pushing — peacefully, factually and relentlessly — until it does.

*Have a correction or a local story about water scarcity in your taluk? Write to us. This page will be updated as the case progresses.*