Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai Saturday agreed to find a way for a peaceful and amicable solution to the Mahanadi water-sharing dispute between the two neighbouring states, an official statement said. Sai met Majhi at Lok Seva Bhavan here during his visit to Odisha.
“The chief ministers of both the states have agreed to focus on the Mahanadi water dispute issue and fi nd a way for its peaceful resolution,” the Odisha CMO statement said. While addressing a function on occasion of the World Water Day, Majhi said, “The water dispute with Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi was discussed during my meeting with the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister at Lok Seva Bhavan today.
Since a triple-engine government is functioning at the Centre, in Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, the dispute will be resolved amicably.” The Odisha government also described the meeting between Majhi and Sai as ‘positive’ and both states are now focused on resolving the long-standing issue through mutual cooperation. The matter (dispute over Mahanadi water sharing) is presently under the consideration of the tribunal.
The CMO also said that the Chhattisgarh chief minister was in favour of an amicable solution to the dispute. Majhi during the discussion highlighted that both states have language and cultural similarities. The Mahanadi water dispute came to the fore when Chhattisgarh built several barrages and check dams on upstream of Mahanadi, blocking the free flow of water in the river’s downstream.
Odisha also complained that the barrages in the upper end of the river reduced water flow in Mahanadi for which it remained dry in the lean period. However, Chhattisgarh justified its act of constructing the barrages on its territory to facilitate irrigation.
During the World Water Day function, Majhi laid the foundation stone of 18 mega lift irrigation projects worth Rs 1,227 crore and dedicated underground pipelines of 100 check dams and four small irrigation projects. Majhi announced that the government has set a target of irrigating an additional 15 lakh hectares of land in the next fi ve years. For the purpose, Rs14,841.72 crore has been allocated in this year’s Budget.
As part of water conservation efforts, the CM said, the Water Resources department has constructed none large, 48 medium, and 3,853 small irrigation projects, collectively saving 24.65 billion cubic metres of water. The Chief Minister stated that these water infrastructures will play a crucial role in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. The CM said the state government will soon formulate a new water policy and take steps to restore depleted and polluted river channels.
Additionally, he launched the ‘Go-Water’ ERP App and released an accompanying handbook. On the occasion, Majhi urged citizens to conserve water and prevent its misuse for domestic purposes.
PNN
