Cuttack, May 13: Movement against use of river water for industrial purposes in Orissa has charted a new course with the filing of a PIL in the high court for judicial intervention against allocation of water to industrial establishments from Mahanadi.

The PIL has sought direction to the state government not to allocate water from Mahanadi till a committee of experts makes an assessment of water availability in different dams and barrages constructed over Mahanadi vis-à-vis the present and future requirement of water for drinking as well as irrigation purposes.

Gauranga Charan Hota (65), a social worker and convenor of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan, said allocation of water to industrial establishments while there was shortage of water in the Mahanadi for supply to irrigation canals was contrary to the state government’s water policy.

“While the water policy gives first priority to drinking water and second priority to irrigation, the state government seems to be giving first priority to the use of water for industrial purposes,” Hota contended, seeking direction to the government to supply sufficient water from Mahanadi to different canals for farm lands.

In a memorandum in April, the petitioner had urged chief minister Naveen Patnaik “to amend all MoUs with industrial houses and incorporate a provision for creation of water reservoir at their own cost, which will not affect agriculture, the environment, and will not create further problem in supply of drinking water”.