Part of the crowd at the public meeting of the Save Mahadayi movement in Belagavi. | Photo Credit: PK Badiger
Members of the Save Mahadayi Movement decided to create the public awareness of the dangers of various Mayadaya Basin projects to Western Ghats.
At a public meeting in Belagavi on Saturday, the leaders of various organizations committed themselves to seek united under the umbrella of the Save Mahadayi movement.
Activists agreed to cooperate to create awareness between the parties, urban residents and young men and women.
During the meeting, the environmentalists of the district promised to preserve the western Ghats, which have one of the largest diversity of plants in the world.
In the coming days, they decided to create public awareness and create a public movement.
Veteran activist Dilip Kamath said that Western Ghats who were spreading from Gujarat to Maharaštra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are one of the most ecological forests in the world and their protection and preservation.
“I have been actively participating in the fight to save Western Ghats over the past 30 years. From time to time, people have been organized at the foot of the Western Ghats to create awareness and create a public movement to save the hills of Sahydri,” he said.
“Some leaders in the government introduce people by providing false information in the name of development,” Kamat said.
“It is trying to avert the Mahadayi River to Malaprraby, which is unscientific. This project is intentionally and incorrectly named the Drinking Water project for Hubball and Dharwad and the villages on the way three decades ago, which we are building before Mahaday projects, but these projects will destroy.
He said that the difference between contemporary agitation and older is that farmers are actively involved in today’s protests. They are the real stakeholders in these projects. Attempts to take over the agricultural land for the Banduri Nala project and the deviation of water from the industrial area of Hidkal to Dharwad are against local farmers. This is encouraging development, said Mr. Kamat.
“The Navilututhirtha reservoir, which will entertain the water of Malaprabha River, was built 35 years ago. The aim was to provide drinking water to people. However, it has now become the main irrigation project that supplied water to sugar cane to Northern Karnataka.
He said that various projects of connecting the river, which are promoted by some leaders, are unscientific and against the rules of nature.
The Environmentalist Nitin Dhond said there is an immediate need to create the general public about possible dangers that represent Mahadaya Basin projects for Western Ghats.
“Cities like us tend to think that Mahadaya Basin projects are problems facing country farmers and not us. However, we should all realize that we will influence us all. We should study projects and listen to various scholars who studied these projects to realize the complete consequences of these projects.”
Captain Dhond quoted from various studies, including the Institute of Science, Bengaluru and IIT Mumbai.
He said that various such studies listed for Western Ghats have given different dangers. All these messages are available in a public domain. “We should study them and create awareness between the general public, especially young men and women,” he said.
He said that the government plans to build baricles without gates to stop the water from the Kalasa, Banduri and Haltar streams from the entrance to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary.
“This will not only lead to deforestation of the Khanapur region, but also lead to the desertification of the northern Karnataka,” he said.
NYLA Coelho, Amrut Charantimath, Lingaraj Jagajampi and others spoke.
Some young people raised project questions and offered to serve as volunteers.
Sameer Majli, Nirmal Kulkarni, Sudesh Hudali, Sangeetha Patil, Nita Potdar and others.
Published – April 28, 2025 17:55
