Chhattisgarh Barrages Led To Drop In Water Inflow To Mahanadi Reservoir: Odisha Minister

Bhubaneswar: The construction of barrages in the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi river by Chhattisgarh government led to drop in inflow of water to Hirakud reservoir in monsoon, said Water Resources Minister Raghunandan Das in the Assembly on Thursday.

In a written reply to the question of Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, the minister said the government in the neighbouring state has constructed 516 barrages on the river.

Giving yearwise figure of the drop in water inflow to the reservoir, Das said while  2016-17 saw a fall of 65%, it was 61% in 2017-18, 57% in 2018-19 and 3% in 2019-20. The reservoir needs 2 million acre feet water during non-monsoon period, he added.

On the steps taken by Odisha government to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh, the minister said a complaint was filed before the Centre in 2016 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act-1956, while the original suit was filed in the Supreme Court. Besides, the state has been placing its demand before Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal since 2018, he added.