Parties, groups in state urge PM to resolve Mahanadi water dispute
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Bhubaneswar: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's PRAGATI meeting on May 28, in which discussion on
Polavaram project
is likely, political parties and organisations in the state urged the PM to resolve the
Mahanadi water dispute
between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
They said the Mahanadi turns dry during summer in Odisha due to the construction of dams by Chhattisgarh in the upper catchment area. They also expressed concern over the Polavaram project, which may submerge bordering areas of Odisha and other states.
BJD vice-president Prasanna Acharya said the previous Naveen govt discussed the Mahanadi dispute twice in high-level meetings. "Chhattisgarh govt is not following the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
It is building barrages in the upper catchment of the river, affecting Odisha's fishermen, farmers and industries," he added. He said groundwater is fast depleting in western Odisha as the Mahanadi is drying up.
"Hirakud reservoir is not getting enough water during summer. The issue should be resolved by asking Chhattisgarh to follow the Act to release water and stop building barrages and dams in the upper catchment area," he said.
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Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka said the issue can be resolved as there are BJP govts in both states and at the Centre. "Our interest should be preserved in both issues," he added.
Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan asserted the govt will strongly defend the state's interests in the issue.
Sudarshan Das, convener of the
Mahanadi Bachao Andolan
, urged the PM to intervene in the matter and resolve the dispute in all aspects. "If we see history, water dispute tribunals take much time to resolve the matter.
Most of the cases in the tribunal do not yield expected results," he added.
There are BJP-led govts at the Centre and in both states, he said. "It will be easy for the govts to settle the issue without facing any big challenge. Now is the best time to talk about the Polavaram issue," he added.
Odia Asmita Parishad on Monday wrote to Modi urging him to resolve the Mahanadi water dispute by convening a meeting between the CMs of both states. He should solve the Polavaram issue without favouring an party, it said. "The Mahanadi is the lifeline of 2.5 crore Odias for agriculture, industrial, power supply and drinking water. People of 16 districts are facing difficulty even in getting drinking water as the Mahanadi has dried up," said Rabi Behera, convener of the parishad.
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