Mahanadi Dispute: Chhattisgarh CM Stirs Row With ‘Dam Construction’ Statement

Bhubaneswar: As Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal began a five-day field survey in Chhattisgarh to study the water flow downstream and the availability and use of water in non-monsoon season, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel stirred a row by mentioning about construction of a dam over the river.

Stating that the matter should not have gone to the tribunal, he said the state could not construct a dam in Surguja and barrages (in other places) because of the ongoing dispute over water sharing. “Mahanadi originates in Chhattisgarh and we don’t have a dam here. The dispute erupted after barrages were constructed. Due to the ongoing dispute over water sharing, we could not construct a dam in Surguja and barrages (in other places). I understand we should get permission (for the construction), as the entire water of the river goes to Odisha.”

The Mahanadi is the lifeline of Chhattisgarh, with 78% of the state’s population living in the basin, he added.

According to reports, Chhattisgarh’s water resources department’s future developmental activities will depend on the outcome of the award of the tribunal, in terms of the quantum of water allocated to the state, which will be valid until 2051.

Notably, the Odisha government lodged a complaint with the Centre in 2016 regarding construction of six industrial barrages on the Mahanadi and low flow in downstream especially during the lean period. The tribunal was constituted on March 12, 2018, based on the intervention/order of the Supreme Court in response to the technical facts presented by Odisha.

The Chhattisgarh government, in turn, has submitted that the barrages/anicuts constructed on the Mahanadi are meant for harvesting small amounts of monsoon rainwater and augmenting groundwater and do not obstruct the flow of Mahanadi water.

However, Mahanadi Bachao Andolan (MBA), which has been leading the movement to resolve the disputes, has alleged that the design of the barrages over the Mahanadi river basins poses a threat to the survival of the river.

Water conservationist Rajendra Singh, who inspected the Mahanadi basins last summer, had predicted that this tribunal can further complicate the disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh and it can go the Kaveri dispute way.