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| Mandovi River | |
|---|---|
 Mandovi River in 2007 | |
  Location in Goa | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| State | Goa |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Bhimgad |
| • location | Karnataka,India |
| Mouth | |
• location | Arabian Sea,India |
• coordinates | 15°29′38″N73°48′40″E / 15.49389°N 73.81111°E /15.49389; 73.81111 |
| Length | 81 km (50 mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 200 m3/s (7,063 cu ft/s) |
TheMandovi (IPA:Konkani pronunciation:[maːɳɖɔwĩː]) orMahadayi (IPA:Kannada pronunciation:[məɦəd̪ɑːji]), formerly known as theRio de Goa,[1] is ariver described as the lifeline of theIndian state ofGoa. The Mandovi and theZuari are the two principal rivers in the state of Goa. The Mandovi joins the Zuari at a commoncreek at Cabo Aguada, forming theMormugao harbour.Panaji, the state capital andOld Goa, the formercapital of Goa, are both situated on the left bank of the Mandovi.
The river has a total length of 81 kilometres (50 miles)—1 kilometre (0.62 miles) inMaharashtra, 35 kilometres (22 miles) inKarnataka, and 45 kilometres (28 miles) in Goa. It originates from a cluster of 30 springs atBhimgad in theWestern Ghats ofBelgavi district in Karnataka state.[2] The river has total 2,032 km2 catchment area of which 1,580 km2, 375 km2 and 77 km2 catchment area are in Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra respectively.[3][4] With its cerulean waters,Dudhsagar Falls andVarapoha Falls, it is also known as the Gomati in a few places.
The Mandovi enters Goa from the north via the Sattari Taluka and fromUttara Kannada District of Karnataka near theCastle Rock railway station. The Mandovi flows throughBelagavi,Uttara Kannada in Karnataka andCumbarjua, Divar and Chorão in Goa, eventually pouring into theArabian Sea. The tributaries of Mandovi or Mhadei includeNerul River,St Inez Creek,Rio de Ourém,Mapusa River,Valvanti River,Udnai River,Dudhsagar River,Ragada River andKotrachi Nadi.
TheCumbarjua Canal, which links both rivers, has made the interiors of the Mandovi accessible to ships carryingiron ore.Iron ore is Goa's prime mineral and it is mined in the eastern hills. Three large freshwater isles —Divar,Chorão andVanxim are present in the Mandovi near the town of Old Goa. The island of Chorão is home to theSalim Ali Bird Sanctuary, named after the renowned ornithologistSalim Ali. A regular ferry transports the inhabitants between the isles and the mainland.
Spanning across the Mandovi River nearPanjim are three parallelMandovi Bridges. The older bridge collapsed in the 1980s before a new bridge was constructed to accommodate heavy transport vehicles. The Mandovi Bridge links the towns ofPanjim toPorvorim. On 14 June 2014, the foundation stone for the third bridge, which is the largest bridge in Goa, was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will span 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) and will be 15 metres (49 feet) higher than the existing bridges and will be spaced in between the two. The 3rd Mandovi bridge is named Atal Setu after former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The bridge was inaugurated on 27 January 2019 at the hands of Union Roads Minister Nitin Gadkari, Goa CM Manohar Parrikar.
During the winter months, the peak tourist season, special dusk cruises on the Mandovi - complete with serenading bands - add to the charm of the river.[5]
The sharing of the waters of this river is a cause of dispute between the governments of Karnataka and Goa. The Karnataka government proposes to divert some water from the Mahadayi river to theMalaprabha River basin as part ofthe Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, as approximately 188tmcft of water at 75% dependability is available in the river.Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal underInterstate River Water Disputes Act has been constituted to decide the sharing of the river waters by the riparian states. In August 2018, Mahadayi Water Tribunal verdict permitted Goa to use 24 tmcft (excluding the 9.395 tmcft prevailing uses), Karnataka to use 13.42 tmcft of which 5.5 tmcft is meant for use within the river basin and for diversion to the Malaprabha reservoir, and around 8 tmcft for power generation (including 3.9 tmcft for export outside the basin) and Maharashtra to use 1.33 tmcft for consumptive purposes.[3] The tribunal assessed the water generated in the river catchment area of Karnataka and Maharashtra as 32.11 tmcft and 7.21 tmcft respectively at 75% dependability. The tribunal has apportioned only 40.125 tmcft of Mandovi river water for consumptive uses among the three riparian states.[3] Karnataka approached the Supreme Court alleging injustice is done in allocation of water to the state.[6]
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