The Centre has given an extension of one more year to the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal that has been adjudicating River Water Sharing disputes between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra since 2010. The extension comes at a time when the government is preparing to get the pending Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment)Bill, 2019 passed in theParliamentduring the monsoon session.
The Bill, passed in theLok Sabhain July 2019, seeks to adjudicate water disputes within the fixed timeframe of maximum four-and-half-years, unlike the current law of 1956 which does not have such a timeline and therefore the existing have been getting extension year after year.
There are two more existing tribunals that have been getting extension from time to time. The oldest one – Ravi and Beas Water Tribunal – was constituted in April 1986 to adjudicate water sharing disputes between Punjab,HaryanaandRajasthanwhile the last one – Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal – was constituted in March, 2018 to resolve disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.