COMING SOON: The River Mhadei: The Science and Politics of Diversion

[Frederick Noronha]

Release at the Goa University on Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025.

The River Mhadei: The Science and Politics of Diversion

Editors: Peter Ronald deSouza, Solano Da Silva, Lakshmi Subramanian 

Genre: ecology, Environment, goa rivers, Green Campaigns, Law, Local Studies, river diversion, Sociology, Water

ISBN: 978-93-95795-68-5 Price (PB) : Rs. 900 Mail Enquiry 

Pp 450. Colour printing.

It is rare to find a work as readable and educative on an issue with resonances for this country and the world at large. River Mhadei has friends as thoughtful as they are articulate.--MAHESH RANGARAJAN, Professor, Ashoka University

A rich, lucidly written collection of articles that captures the Mhadei river’s ecological, cultural, and political significance. From its origins to ongoing legal battles and living traditions, this book demonstrates that the Mhadei is not just Goa’s lifeline—it is its soul. Essential reading for every Goan. Every river lover.—NORMA ALVARES, Senior Advocate, Bombay High Court

The River Mhadei: The Science and Politics of Diversion brings together a wide range of experts—scientists, ecologists, legal scholars, historians, planners, journalists, activists, and community practitioners—to explore a pressing environmental dispute. Centered on the waters of the Mhadei, which are contested by the states of Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, the volume moves beyond the narrow confines of technical and legal debates over water diversion and allocation to present a richly layered portrait of the river as a living presence.

Its chapters flow across time and discipline, from field-based ecological studies and hydrological analyses to the history of Goan riverine infrastructure, cultural memory, participatory art, and a critical perspective on the official adjudication of the dispute and the political maneuverings it has engendered. Some essays foreground the staggering—and fragile—biodiversity supported by the river; others explore local festivals, agricultural infrastructure, and the experiences and lived knowledge of riverside communities for whom the Mhadei is Amchi Mai—Our Mother. At the heart of the volume is the pressing question: What does justice mean in a time of ecological crisis? It warns against viewing the Mhadei solely as a resource to be exploited and highlights its role as a sustainer of ecosystems, a commons, and a memory archive.

• Contents
• Figures and Tables 7
• Foreword: Keri Facer 11
• Acknowledgements 16
• Introduction (Peter Ronald deSouza, Solano Da Silva, Lakshmi Subramanian) 18
• Conserving the Mahadayi: Biodiversity, Water, and Cultural Resources (Rajendra P. Kerkar) 31
• The Many Pasts and Contested Present of the Mhadei (Lakshmi Subramanian) 50
• Abundant Mother Goddess or Scarce, Contested Resource? The Life and Times of the River Mhadei (Parineeta Dandekar) 71
• Saving the Mhadei: The Anatomy of a Movement (Meera Mohanty) 93
• The Political Economy of the Mhadei Dispute: Intersecting the Domains of Politics, Institutions, and Interests (Rahul Tripathi) 120
• The Unquiet Flow of the Mahadayi: A Logbook of Issues as Seen from the Eastern Face (Rishikesh Bahadur Desai) 135
• The Working of the Inter-State Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal (Vaishali Kashyap) 157
• Sifting through the Water Laws: Securing the Mandovi River for Future Generations (Vasudha Sawaiker) 176
• Understanding Mhadei River Water Sharing (A. G. Chachadi) 201
• Threats to the Lesser-Known Biodiversity of the Mhadei Bio-Region: A Spotlight (Nirmal Kulkarni) 225
• Freshwater Fish Diversity in the Mhadei River in Goa (Vidyadhar Atkore and Nandini Velho) 247
• From the River to the Sea: The Mhadei River Continuum and the Impact of Interventions (Helga do Rosario Gomes) 264
• Valuing the River Mhadei: An Economic Exploration (Dhirendra Deshpande) 281
• Understanding the Urban Estuarine Ecology of the Mhadei: The Role of Khazans in Panjim, Goa (Leon Morenas and Manisha Rodrigues) 301
• The Privatization of Community Property and Gambling with the Future of Goa (Aurobindo Gomes Pereira) 325
• Mhadei: ”May the Great Mother Live Long in Letters and Spirit” (Narayan B. Desai) 343
• Participatory River Drawings and Political Capabilities through Library Practice (Sujata Noronha) 366
• Managing the Commons in a Climate Emergency: An Experiment in Good Governance (Maya de Souza) 391\
• Epilogue: The Currents of the River Mhadei (Peter Ronald deSouza) 419
• Contributors 442

CONTRIBUTORS: A. G. Chachadi | Aurobindo Gomes Pereira | Dhirendra Deshpande | Helga do Rosario Gomes | Lakshmi Subramanian | Leon Morenas | Manisha Rodrigues | Maya de Souza | Meera Mohanty | Nandini Velho | Narayan B. Desai | Nirmal Kulkarni | Parineeta Dandekar | Peter Ronald deSouza | Rahul Tripathi | Rajendra P. Kerkar | Rishikesh Bahadur Desai | Solano Da Silva| Sujata Noronha | Vaishali Kashyap | Vasudha Sawaiker | Vidyadhar Atkore 450 pp. Printed in colour. VISIT  http://www.mhadeicollective.com 

Available via mail order from Goa,1556 WhatsApp +91-9822122436 goa155...@gmail.com

https://www.goa1556.in/book/the-river-mhadei/

[John de Figueiredo]

Why Mhadei and not Mandovi? I thought Mhadei was the name used in Maharashtra and Karnataka. In Goa the river has been known as Mandovi. 

John M. de Figueiredo 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 12, 2025, at 10:35 PM, Frederick Noronha <frederic...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[António Colaço]

I presume that the original name of the river is Mahadevi (Great Mother), in accordance with the Indian tradition of considering the rivers - goddesses. As is well known, the concerned river begins in Karnataka and after a very short passage through Maharashtra enters Goa, where it has the biggest extension . Mahdei seems to be the name given to the river  in whereabouts between Surla and Ganjem in Goa. However, the name  Mandovi seems to refer to the biggest extension of the river in Goa. Although linked to Goa in colonial times, the word Mandovi etymologically seems more linked to Mahadevi than Mahdei ( a village in the Satna District - Madhya Pradesh). Giving priority to Mahdei instead of Mandovi seems more linked to cheap nationalism, somewhat popular nowadays.

António Bernardo Colaço          

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normetica.blogspot.com

 

 

[John de Figueiredo]

Dear Antonio,

Thank you for this clarification. Makes sense.

Best regards,

John

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On Sep 13, 2025, at 5:49 PM, António Colaço <pimente...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Helga do Rosario Gomes]

Hello Joao,

Glad you asked this question as it gives me an opportunity to explain at least the aspects that I have addressed in the chapter titled "From the River to the Sea: The Mhadei River Continuum and the Impact of Interventions".

 Perhaps also those of other highly informed experts who contributed to this book. As  Fredrick's post says the contributors comprise not only scientists and ecologists but also legal scholars, historians, planners, journalists, activists, and community practitioners—to explore a pressing environmental dispute. And the dispute is the damming and diversion of waters from river upstream by the Karnataka government to satiate its increasing need for water which it requires for its huge sugarcane plantations and other agriculture. 

As Antonio has explained, the Mhadei river is a continuum and its basin spans three states: 4% in Maharashtra, 18% in Karnataka, and 78% in Goa where it empties into the Arabian Sea. So in order to understand the impacts of the dam we have to look at the entire river continuum. My focus was especially to refute the asinine argument of the Karnataka govt which says that Goa 'wastes' its waters by allowing them to flow in the Arabian Sea. In my paper, I demonstrate with substantial evidence,  the ecological harm caused by the hydrological modifications and consequent decrease in freshwater to the estuary. One major repercussion is the intrusion of saline water that would decimate fragile populations acclimated to a certain salinity range but there are others like diminished nutrients and loss of important spawning grounds. 

I wish I were able to attend the book launch but I hope some of you in Goa will grace the occasion and interact with the many experts who can tell you more. 

Best wishes,

Helga 

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Maria Helga do Rosario Gomes
609 West 114th Street
NY 10025
USA
http://helgagomes.com/
http://www.goachitra.com/

[Albertina Almeida]

I do hope and trust that somewhere the book addresses the issue of corporate big-consumption of water and the real motives for water diversion, which, it seems to me, goes beyond the jingoism both in Goa and in Karnataka, and which hopefully can help build solidarities between common peoples across states, despite the (deliberate) negiigence of Governments of Goa and Karnataka and of the Centre.

I will most probably attend the book release programme to listen and know more.

Albertina

 

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(M) 09326137682

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein

[John de Figueiredo]

Dear Helga,

Good to hear from you and thank you and your colleagues for this valuable effort.

Scholarly books and petitions are necessary and valuable resources and tools to address societal problems, but what history teaches us is that they are insufficient. Independence of India and civil rights in the US were not earned just with petitions and scholarly books or because some judges decided that they were beautiful things to do.

It seems to me (and I am not, by any means, an expert on this subject) that without a vigorous grassroots movement, demonstrations, and the use of social media, a calamity of this magnitude will never be resolved or prevented.

John 

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 14, 2025, at 3:26 AM, Helga do Rosario Gomes <helgado...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Helga do Rosario Gomes]

Hi John and Albertina,

Thanks for your responses to my email. 

@Albertina I am glad you plan to attend the launch of the book as there you will meet several people who can clarify the legal aspects that you have posed. One of them is Adv. Aurobindo Gomes Pereira, who has also contributed to the book. 

@joao there was a huge 'Save Mhadei' movement and it was very active on social media and more importantly it was spearheaded by young people including artists and environmentalists. Please check their Instagram page which lists all the activities past and present. But also ask Vivek Meenzes who knows way more about it than I do and whose son Rohan along with a few others was even arrested at one protest. 

As I stated in my earlier post which addressed your question 'why Mhadei and not Mandovi', my primary goal was to provide scientific evidence that water that flows into the Arabian sea is not 'wasted', possibly one of the most idiotic arguments a court has ever accepted.

Best,

Helga

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[John de Figueiredo]

Dear Helga,

Good! I am glad to hear that. Congratulations and thank you for your commitment to this important cause.

Best regards,

John

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On Sep 14, 2025, at 1:17 PM, Helga do Rosario Gomes <helgado...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Helga Do Rosario Gomes]

Thank you João! I was in Goa when I wrote the chapter and that was perfect as I got inputs from so many of my friends. They would call up or text with any titbit that came to them and so thanks to them my chapter didn’t turn out into a dry, scientific paper. And a young cousin did the illustrations. 

I will send you a pdf as soon as I get hold of one. 

Best,

Helga 

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[John de Figueiredo]

Hi Helga,

Is the book available in the US?

Best regards,

John

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On Sep 14, 2025, at 1:17 PM, Helga do Rosario Gomes <helgado...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Helga do Rosario Gomes]

Hi John,

I am not sure - this is a Fredrick Noronha question but I will make sure I get you a copy as several of my friends are going home to Goa for Chrstimas.

Best,

Helga

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[John de Figueiredo]

Thank you so much, Helga. And bravo to you and your colleagues for not giving up not this important issue.

João Manuel 

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On Sep 15, 2025, at 1:43 PM, Helga do Rosario Gomes <helgado...@gmail.com> wrote:



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