Tribunal Team Inspects Hirakud As Mahanadi Water Dispute Enters Crucial Phase
Speaking after the meeting, Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said the state’s interests would remain paramount in the adjudication process: Reports
BHUBANESWAR: In a key development in one of India’s most protracted inter-state river disputes, the tribunal adjudicating the Mahanadi water dispute on Friday carried out an on-ground inspection of the Hirakud Dam in Odisha’s Sambalpur district.
After holding a closed-door meeting in Burla, the tribunal team visited the dam’s spillway area as part of its field-level assessment of competing claims over the sharing and utilisation of the Mahanadi River waters between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
The inspection assumes significance amid renewed political and administrative momentum to resolve the long-pending dispute, which has major implications for irrigation, drinking water supply and industrial usage across large parts of Odisha.
Speaking after the meeting, Odisha Advocate General Pitambar Acharya said the state’s interests would remain paramount in the adjudication process.
“Keeping the interests of the people of Odisha in mind, the issue will be resolved. The process of finding a solution is ongoing,” Acharya said, adding that fresh initiatives have been undertaken following the formation of the new government in the state.
He emphasised that the dispute would ultimately be settled through mutual discussions and understanding between the two states, while assuring that appropriate arrangements would be ensured for optimal utilisation of Mahanadi waters.
Acharya reiterated that Odisha would receive its “rightful share” and that sustained efforts are underway to safeguard the state’s interests before the tribunal.
The Mahanadi row centres on Odisha’s allegation that upstream barrages and diversion structures constructed by Chhattisgarh have reduced downstream flows into the Hirakud reservoir, particularly during the lean season. According to Odisha, diminished inflows threaten agricultural irrigation, drinking water supply and industrial operations across several districts.
Chhattisgarh, however, maintains that its projects fall within permissible limits and that it is entitled to utilise waters flowing through its territory.
With no mutually agreed water-sharing formula in place, the Centre constituted a tribunal in 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 to adjudicate the competing claims and recommend an equitable allocation framework.
The latest field visit also comes against a changing political backdrop. With the Bharatiya Janata Party currently in power at the Centre as well as in both Odisha and Chhattisgarh, political observers have speculated about the possibility of a negotiated breakthrough outside prolonged litigation.