Cuttack, Sept. 8: Magsaysay award-winner Rajendra Singh today expressed concern that that the Mahanadi water dispute between Chhattisgarh and Odisha was far from being resolved because it had become a political issue for both the state governments over the past year.

'Politicisation cannot settle the dispute,' Rajendra Singh said today speaking on the inauguration of the two-day 'Sankalp Padayatra' here to raise awareness on the campaign against Chhattisgarh's dams and barrages on the Mahanadi that have been creating problems downstream.

He expressed concern that the people of Odisha had been suffering with the Mahanadi dispute lingering on.

The activist said the Mahanadi dispute needed to be settled at the social level and for this, it required massive participation of the people.

Singh said: 'It will put pressure on both the state governments to resolve it.'

The Mahanadi Banchao Andolan is organising the Sankalp Padayatra along with Agami Odisha. The padayatra started with activists walking out of the Mahanadi river waters near Gadagadia ghat and proceeding through the main thoroughfare of the city to Jobra touching Cantonment Road, Buxi Bazaar, Nuapatna, Mangalabag and College Square.

'Our main objective is to keep the Mahanadi river alive in Odisha. We are concerned that elephant sightings have decreased in Odisha's Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary since the Kalma Barrage came up in Chhattisgarh in 2011. More so, the river goes dry when Chhattisgarh shuts the sluice gates, and there are floods in Odisha when they open,' said Bikash Das, convenor Mahanadi Banchao Andolan. 'And for achieving our goal, we don't want a Kaveri-like situation, which disrupts Odisha and Chhattisgarh as the Mahanadi connects both the states socially and culturally.'

The padayatra will resume tomorrow from Mahanadi Vihar and cover the main thoroughfares of the city to Netaji Subash Chandra Bose Setu touching Chauliaganj, OMP square, Link Road, Badambadi, Dolamundai, Haripur, Jail Road, Choudhury Bazaar and Chandni Chowk.