The Kalasa-Banduri Nala is a project undertaken by the Government of Karnataka to improve drinking water supply to the Districts of Belagavi, Dharwad and Gadag. It involves building across Kalasa and Banduri, two tributaries of the Mahadayi river to divert 7.56 TMC of water to the Malaprabha river, which supplies the drinking water needs of the said 3 districts, i.e., Dharwad, Balagavi and Gadag. This project had been on paper for decades and the Karnataka government decided to implement it during S M Krishna's regime. Clearance for the project was received from the center in 2002. The project however, soon ran into trouble when the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Goa headed by Manohar Parrikar raised objections to the project claiming that the project would harm Goa's flora and fauna. Following this, the then National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government which was in power at the center put on hold its approval and funding of the project.

Karnataka has planned to utilize 7.560 tmcft of water from the Mahadayi (known as Mandovi in Goa) through the Kalasa-Banduri Nala diversion projects, i.e., by diverting water from the Mahadayi into the Malaprabha (a tributary of the Krishna) originating in Kankumbi.

Farmers in the north Karnataka districts of Bagalkot, Belagavi, Dharwad and Gadag have been agitating for the early implementation of the Kalasa and Banduri Nala diversion projects to meet drinking water and irrigation needs in these districts for the past two decades.

 
They launched an indefinite struggle at Nargund of Gadag district on July 16 last year.

However, the efforts of the State government to explore the possibilities of an out-of-court solution were in vain with the Prime Minister setting a pre-condition for talks with riparian States that the Congress evolve a consensus among its units in Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra and at the national level.

While the farmers viewed this condition as politically motivated, they have been critical of both the ruling Congress and principal Opposition BJP in the State for indulging in a blame game instead of making sincere efforts to resolve the dispute

We are demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervene and explore an amicable out-of-court solution to solve this issue.