Mahanadi river dispute with Chhattisgarh may be resolved before Diwali: Odisha CM

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said he was confident that the long-running interstate dispute with neighbouring Chhattisgarh over the sharing of Mahanadi river water would be resolved before Diwali, raising hopes of a negotiated settlement in a case that has been pending since 2018.“We hope that there will be an amicable solution to the water dispute before the upcoming Diwali festival,” Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi saidThe breakthrough came after a tripartite meeting in New Delhi on Thursday involving the Odisha CM, his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil.“Both Odisha and Chhattisgarh have agreed to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute through discussion. As per the decision taken at the meeting, both sides will find solutions to all issues related to the Mahanadi, including water sharing, within the next three months,” Majhi told reporters after the meeting.“We hope that there will be an amicable solution to the water dispute before the upcoming Diwali festival,” he said.Majhi said his government remained committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers and other stakeholders while pursuing a consensus-based resolution.The latest development follows months of negotiations between the two states. Majhi had earlier held discussions with Sai during a conference of water resources ministers in Rajasthan last year and has repeatedly called for an amicable settlement. Senior officials from Odisha and Chhattisgarh have since been engaged in talks to resolve the interstate dispute.The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT), constituted by the Centre in March 2018, has recently encouraged both states to settle the matter through dialogue. Last week, the tribunal directed the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission (CWC) to mediate discussions between the two states and asked them to constitute a joint committee comprising technical experts.As part of the roadmap, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, the Central Water Commission (CWC) and senior officials from both states will hold continuous technical-level discussions over the next three months. The process will focus on a data-driven assessment to ensure the scientific distribution, management and conservation of Mahanadi river water.According to data submitted jointly by the two states before the tribunal, the annual water availability of the Mahanadi has been estimated at 62.36 million acre-feet (MAF), with Odisha’s share assessed at 33.17 MAF and Chhattisgarh’s at 28.94 MAF. Water availability at 50%, 70% and 90% dependability has been estimated at 61.12 MAF, 46.62 MAF and 37.25 MAF respectively.Earlier this month, Majhi wrote to Sai proposing a consensus-based settlement mechanism under the guidance of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, with the CWC leading a joint committee to work out a mutually beneficial solution.Legal and technical experts from both states met in New Delhi between June 16 and June 26 to discuss water-sharing issues and submitted their report to the tribunal on June 27.An 11-member team of the MWDT, led by its chairperson, Justice Bela M. Trivedi, had visited Odisha in February and conducted a field inspection of the Mahanadi river basin. The team collected detailed data on water flow and assessed the technical and environmental dimensions of the dispute.The Mahanadi river is a lifeline for millions of people in both states, supporting agriculture, industry, hydropower generation and biodiversity. The dispute intensified after Odisha accused Chhattisgarh of constructing upstream barrages that could affect downstream water availability, prompting the Centre to constitute a tribunal under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act.The river, which originates in Chhattisgarh and flows approximately 857 km before entering Odisha, has immense economic and ecological significance. It sustains irrigation, hydropower generation and fisheries across large parts of Odisha and supports the livelihoods of an estimated 2.18 crore people across the two states.The Mahanadi basin covers around 141,600 square kilometres, with 53.9% of the catchment area located in Chhattisgarh and 45.73% in Odisha. The river’s waters are also critical for several biodiversity hotspots, including Bhitarkanika, Chilika and Tikarpada.Odisha has long maintained that upstream projects undertaken by Chhattisgarh could adversely affect downstream flows. The state approached the Supreme Court in 2016, alleging illegal construction of barrages in the upstream region. Following the court’s intervention, the Centre notified the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in March 2018.In Odisha, the river and its tributaries flow through at least 16 districts and have played a pivotal role in the state’s agricultural and economic development. The construction of the Hirakud Dam in the 1950s transformed the river’s role from being associated with devastating floods to becoming a major source of irrigation and power generation. The dam currently irrigates over 235,000 hectares of farmland and generates 347.5 megawatts of hydropower.Officials said an agreement between Odisha and Chhattisgarh would mark the first negotiated settlement in the nearly decade-long dispute and could pave the way for coordinated water management of one of India’s most important river systems.