Lok Sabha DebatesNeed To Take Steps To Resolve The Acute Drinking Water Problem In Hubli Dhanwad ... on 5 May, 2016Sixteenth Loksabha                          

                                                                               

                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                      
                      

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Title: Need to take steps to resolve the acute drinking water problem in Hubli  Dhanwad cities in Karnataka state.SHRIMALLIKARJUN KHARGE(GULBARGA): It is a very important issue. I wanted to raise it in the morning but luckily or unfortunately, I am not getting.  Whenever I am putting in the draw, my name is not coming.  This is the third day.Sir, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights.Safe drinking water is one of the most crucial problems of our country.  The nation is reeling under unprecedented drought and drinking water crisis which is worsening day by day owing to an extended drought and depletion of groundwater.Hubli-Dharwad cities in Karnataka and other villages enroute have been facing an acute drinking water problem for a long time.  To solve this problem, Karnataka State had requested for diversion of 7.56 TMC water from Mahadayi river by undertaking the Kalasa Banduri Nala Project.The Mahadayi river travels 35 kilometres in Karnataka and 82 kilometres in Goa before joining Arabian sea.  Out of the total catchment area of 2.032 square kilometres catchment area in Karnataka is 375 square kilometres. As per the Central Water Commission in 2003, the yield in the Mahadayi river basin is 220 TMC.  According to Karnataka’s Water Resource Development Organisation, the yield in Karnataka basin is 44.15 TMC.  Mahadayi’s yield in Goa is 175 TMC.  Karnataka’s intended use of water for the Kalasa-Banduri project is only 7.56 TMC.In principle, clearance for the project was accorded by the Union Ministry of Water Resources in its letter dated 30.04.2002 and the same was kept in abeyance by the Ministry in its letter dated 19.09.2002.  The project ran into trouble when the then Government of Goa raised objections to the project claiming that the project would harm Goa’s flora and fauna.The Ministry of Water Resources constituted the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal on 16.11.2010. The claim of the State of Karnataka for its share of around 37 TMC is pending before the Tribunal. Intervention of the hon. Prime Minister is requested to resolve the acute drinking water problem of the people of Hubli-Dharwad cities and other villages, and request the Karnataka State for diversion of 7.56 TMC water from Mahadayi river by undertaking the Kalasa Banduri Nala Project, may be agreed to, in interim.In August, 2015 there was an all-Party delegation led by the Chief Minister to the Prime Minister on this issue to intervene and resolve the matter. There have been continuous protests by farmers’ organizations for faster implementation of this project. Agitation by the people has been still continuing and delay in resolution of the problem may turn into a law and order problem for the State.Therefore, I request that the hon. Prime Minister to intervene because such situation also arose earlier.… (Interruptions)HON. CHAIRPERSON:Shri S.P. Muddahanume Gowda,   

   

 Shri R. Dhruvanarayana,   

   

 Shri B.N. Chandrappa,   

   

 Shri B.V. Naik and   

   

 Shri Abhijit Mukherjee are permitted to associate with the issue raised by Shri Mallikarjun Kharge.