The decades-long Mahanadi water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh may finally move towards a resolution, with Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai assuring his Odisha counterpart Mohan Charan Majhi of his willingness to resolve the matter amicably.
Activists have welcomed the development but urged the Centre to convene a joint meeting to help both states reach a settlement.
Majhi had written to Sai on July 25, seeking cooperation to end the impasse. Sai responded, stating the matter was “under consideration”.
Following this exchange, the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal on Friday deferred its next hearing from August 2 to September 6. “We deem it appropriate to request the secretaries concerned of the respective states to remain present before the tribunal on the next date and apprise it about the progress of settlement talks,” Tribunal chairperson Justice Bela M. Trivedi said.
Odisha advocate-general Pitambar Acharya and Chhattisgarh’s senior counsel both told the tribunal that talks were under way for an out-of-court resolution.
The Mahanadi river is Odisha’s lifeline, supporting drinking water, irrigation and industrial needs across 16 of its 30 districts. The river’s delta, stretching over 95,000 sqkm, sustains some of India’s most important mangrove forests and serves as a natural barrier during frequent cyclones.
“Reduced water flow in the Mahanadi will drastically impact the fragile deltaic ecosystem — especially Satkosia, Bhitarkanika wetlands, Chilika lagoon, Gahirmatha turtle habitat and the Mahanadi delta itself. Drinking water availability will also be severely affected,” a source warned.
Chhattisgarh has taken up multiple irrigation projects in the upper reaches of the Mahanadi without sharing detailed project reports, sources said. Barrages built on the Chhattisgarh side have allegedly caused water shortages during summer and floods during the monsoon due to sudden releases.
Sources said at the time of the Hirakud dam’s establishment in 1947, Odisha was promised a minimum of 12.28 million acre-feet of water, a commitment made by the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh and now seen as non-negotiable by Odisha. The state has demanded an immediate halt to all ongoing constructions by Chhattisgarh on the river.
Chhattisgarh, however, maintains that all projects have been executed as per rules to meet the state’s water needs.