Goa, May 12 -- The Centre has put a hold on Karnataka's plan to divert forest land for the Kalsa-Bhandura drinking water project, pausing the proposal to use 28.44 hectares of forest in Nerase village, Khanapur taluka. The Regional Empowered Committee (REC) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) took this decision, citing the project's location within ecologically sensitive zones and ongoing legal and environmental scrutiny.

The project, which seeks to draw water from the Mhadei (Mahadayi) River to meet the drinking water needs of drought-hit North Karnataka, has faced stiff resistance from environmentalists and the Goa government. They argue it could cause lasting damage to the Western Ghats and point ...