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
On Fri, Sep 12, 2025 at 11:21 PM John de Figueiredo <[email protected]> wrote: > 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 < > [email protected]> wrote: > > > Release at the Goa University on Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025.The River Mhadei: > The Science and Politics of Diversion > <https://www.goa1556.in/book/the-river-mhadei/> > *Editors:* Peter Ronald deSouza, Solano Da Silva, Lakshmi Subramanian > *Genre:* ecology <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/ecology/>, Environment > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/environment/>, goa rivers > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/goa-rivers/>, Green Campaigns > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/green-campaigns/>, Law > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/law/>, Local Studies > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/local-studies/>, river diversion > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/river-diversion/>, Sociology > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/sociology/>, Water > <https://www.goa1556.in/book-genre/water/> > *ISBN: *978-93-95795-68-5 *Price (PB) : *Rs. 900 Mail Enquiry > <[email protected]?subject=Enquiry/Buy%20Book%20-%20The+River+Mhadei:+The+Science+and+Politics+of+Diversion/978-93-95795-68-5&body=Hi,%0AI%20am%20interested%20in%20the%20book%20mentioned%20in%20the%20subject%20of%20this%20email%20above.%0APlease%20contact%20me%20back.%0AAnything+else..%0AAdd%20Your%20Name/Contact/Email/Phone%20here%0A> > > Pp 450. Colour printing. > <https://www.goa1556.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/trm.png> > > *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 <http://www.mhadeicollective.com>* > > *Available via mail order from Goa,1556 WhatsApp +91-9822122436 > [email protected] <[email protected]>* > > https://www.goa1556.in/book/the-river-mhadei/ > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CA%2Bmqab95PCq7R1by5eyAXqm4MM0LLeBGke74QFuui5p%3DuYEHaw%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CA%2Bmqab95PCq7R1by5eyAXqm4MM0LLeBGke74QFuui5p%3DuYEHaw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/1E74102D-680E-428D-92F0-4CD3652AAE2A%40sbcglobal.net > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/1E74102D-680E-428D-92F0-4CD3652AAE2A%40sbcglobal.net?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Maria Helga do Rosario Gomes 609 West 114th Street NY 10025 USA http://helgagomes.com/ http://www.goachitra.com/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. 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