Chhattisgarh, Odisha move to resolve decade-old Mahanadi water dispute

Chhattisgarh and Odisha are taking steps to resolve the nearly decade-old Mahanadi water dispute.

 

A meeting between the chief secretaries of the two BJP-led states along with secretaries of the water resources department was held in New Delhi on Saturday in this regard, a senior official of Chhattisgarh’s water resources department said.

 

It was decided in the meeting that technical committees from Chhattisgarh and Odisha, comprising engineers and experts, will meet every week to identify main issues and find solutions. Besides this, they will also see how better coordination can be made between the two states, the official added.

 

In October, the chief secretaries of both the states along with officials of departments concerned will hold another meeting, and after the review of initial rounds of the meeting, chief ministers of the two states will meet by December to decide the future course of action.

 

Mahanadi, a major river in India, originates from Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha before merging in the Bay of Bengal. The historic Hirakud Dam at Sambalpur in Odisha is built across Mahanadi.

 

In November 2016, the then Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha filed a suit in the Supreme Court, alleging Chhattisgarh had “illegally” constructed a number of barrages across the river and its tributaries, which has seriously affected inflow of water into the Hirakud reservoir in Odisha, particularly in the non-monsoon seasons.

 

Following the court intervention, the Centre constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in 2018. The proceedings continued between 2018 and 2023 with data submissions, arguments, and inspections from both states.

 

After BJP came to power in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, both the states in early August informed the apex court that they were willing to resolve the issue with mutual consultations.