Keri: Karnataka has initiated a proposal to divert “excess” water from Tillari river basin into Markandeya river to augment the Rakaskop reservoir, which supplies drinking water to Belagavi, raising concerns in Goa over interstate water rights.The proposal, discussed at a district-level meeting at Belagavi, involves damming and diverting water from select nullahs in the Tillari basin. Karnataka district in charge minister Satish Jarkiholi assured former Belagavi corporators that govt would expedite the proposal. Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar has also raised the issue with Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.Tillari is an interstate river, and Goa holds a substantial financial stake and water-sharing entitlement in the Tillari Irrigation Project, jointly developed with Maharashtra about 25 years ago. Any upstream alteration of its flow or diversion of water would require technical, legal and interstate scrutiny.Goa water resources department chief engineer Dhaneshwar Salelkar said he was unaware of the proposal and would contact his Karnataka counterpart for details.A retired Goa WRD officer said Belagavi’s drinking water needs cannot automatically override interstate water rights, existing agreements, project entitlements, environmental safeguards and downstream security.The move comes after Karnataka’s earlier efforts to divert Kalasa water into the Malaprabha basin.
