Mahadayi Tribunal Receives Another Extension Amidst Ongoing Water Disputes Between Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka

The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal, established in November 2010 to resolve water-sharing disputes between Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, has been granted another six-month extension by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. This extension, effective from August 20, comes after more than 13 years of operation, during which the tribunal has yet to fully resolve the issue.

Despite submitting its report and decision in August 2018, the tribunal has faced continuous objections from all three states, leading to repeated extensions. This marks the sixth extension granted since the initial report, as the states seek additional reports to address their concerns.

The Mahadayi Tribunal is one of five active tribunals in India that continue to receive extensions. The oldest is the Ravi & Beas Tribunal, which was constituted 38 years ago in April 1986 to resolve water-sharing disputes between Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal, established in April 2004 to mediate disputes between Maharashtra, Karnataka, and the former Andhra Pradesh, is the second oldest.

The other two active tribunals are the Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal, created in February 2010 for disputes between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, constituted in March 2018 for disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

In addition to these active tribunals, two more disputes remain unresolved without the formation of a tribunal under the existing Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956. These include a dispute raised by Bihar concerning the Tilaiya-Dhadhar diversion scheme involving Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, and another raised by Tamil Nadu regarding water usage.