Is Odisha Staring At Dry Mahanadi Riverbeds?

Bhubaneswar: While Odisha has been receiving less water of Mahanadi due to the constructions of 250 small and big dams and thousands of barrages by the Chhattisgarh government in the upper catchments, the decision of the neighbouring state to increase the water level of its two major reservoirs is likely to further worsen the situation.

Talking to the media on condition of anonymity, a senior engineer of the Water Resources Department of Chhattisgarh said efforts are on to increase the water level of Hasdeo Bango dam at Katgora in Korba district, with an optimum water capacity of 3046 million cubic metre (MCM), as it had gone down by 4.97 per cent as per a survey in 2005.

Apart from the biggest Hasdeo Bango dam, the neighbouring state has built some other major dams like Ravishankar Sagar dam, Murramsilli dam and Sondur Dam in Dhamtari district, Tandula Dam at Balod in Durg district, Dudhawa Dam at Kanker in Uttar Bastar Kanker district and Ghongha Dam at Kota in Bilaspur district.

While Odisha receives more Mahanadi water from Ravishankar Sagar dam, the Chhattisgarh government has also decided to raise the water capacity of the dam for irrigation and generation of more hydroelectricity for the industries.

If the neighbouring state goes ahead with its decision, Odisha will face an acute shortage of water during the monsoon and non-monsoon season.

Notably, Chhattisgarh has about 10 per cent more catchments than Odisha.

Leave aside the major dams, if the neighbouring state takes a similar decision to retain more water in its barrages, Odisha will receive about one-third of Mahanadi water, experts have pointed out.