NEW DELHI, Agencies : The Supreme Court in its interim order on Thursday allowed the plea of the Karnataka government for the Centre to notify the final award of the Mhadei Water Disputes a Tribunal for sharing of water between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra from the Mhadei river.
The interim order was passed by a bench comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Hemant Gupta after hearing the counsel from the three States. The bench said the final hearing in the matter will take place in July.
It also said the interim order is subject to the final outcome of the special leave petitions filed by the three States against the Tribunal's award.
The Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal had passed the order on August 14, 2018, allocating 13.42 TMC water (including 3.9 TMC for diversion into the depleted Malaprabha river basin) from the Mhadei river basin to Karnataka.
Maharashtra was allotted 1.33 TMC water while Goa was given 24 TMC in the final decision of the tribunal. The UPA-2 government had constituted Mhadei Water Disputes Tribunal in 2010.
Karnataka government, which has locked horns with the neighbouring Goa on the larger issue of sharing Mhadei River water between both the states, had petitioned the Tribunal seeking the release of 7.56 tmc ft of water for the Kalasa-Bhanduri Nala project.
The Kalasa-Bhanduri Nala (diversion) project, which will utilise 7.56 tmc ft of water from the inter-state Mhadei river, is being undertaken by Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag.
It involves building barrages across Kalasa and Bhanduri, the tributaries of the Mhadei river, to divert 7.56 tmc water to the Malaprabha river which fulfils the drinking water needs of the twin cities.