Bhubaneswar, June 3: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik today protested against the Chhattisgarh government's unilateral closure of the gates of Kalma barrage stopping free flow of water in the Mahanadi river to Odisha.

In a missive to his Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh, Naveen said: "Stopping free flow of water is completely contrary to the inter-state riparian rights as per the 1945 understanding when the Hirakud Dam was planned."

"The unilateral decision to stop the flow has caused severe distress situation in the downstream areas in my state, affecting the drinking water needs," he added.

Cautioning the Chhattisgarh government that a public unrest because of the drinking water shortage may create problem, Naveen said: "The people in Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Bargarh and many other districts have been affected and there is unrest due to unilateral action of your government in closing gates and stopping the free flow of water in Mahanadi river. This unrest may go out of hand if free flows downstream of Kalma barrage in Mahanadi river are not restored immediately."