Justice Bela M Trivedi Appointed Chairperson Of Mahanadi Tribunal To Resolve Odisha-Chhattisgarh Water Dispute

Bhubaneswar: Supreme Court judge Justice Bela M. Trivedi has been appointed as the chairperson of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, constituted to resolve the long-standing river water conflict between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

The post of the chairperson of the tribunal was lying vacant for over seven months.

The tribunal was constituted in 2018 by the directive of the Supreme Court to address contentious water-sharing disagreements between the neighbouring states. The ongoing dispute concerns the allocation of water from the Mahanadi River and its extensive basin, a critical resource for the region’s agriculture and livelihoods.

Under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, the tribunal was formed after Odisha approached the Supreme Court, seeking a resolution to perceived inequities in water distribution. Odisha’s intent was to secure a more equitable distribution of the river water, reflecting the state’s proactive approach in handling inter-state water conflicts.

The resolution of such disputes is crucial in ensuring impartial resource allocation and maintaining harmony between the two states.