Bhubaneswar: Non-submission of crucial data on water availability in the Mahanadi River to the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, despite eight years of proceedings, has raised serious concerns with Mahanadi Bachao Andolan (MBA), terming the situation ‘deeply unfortunate’.
The MBA has questioned both Odisha and Chhattisgarh for failing to provide basic hydrological data required to resolve the long-pending interstate water dispute.
Proceedings from the tribunal’s April 20 hearing, recently made public, have revealed that crucial data on water availability in the Mahanadi basin is yet to be submitted, raising serious concern among stakeholders in Odisha.
The absence of key information, including total water flow and storage, is worrisome as such data is vital for settling the dispute between the two states.
Activists said Chhattisgarh’s reluctance to share data is understandable due to its upstream control over the river, but Odisha’s failure to provide its own supporting data is worrying.
The outfit’s convener, Sudarsan Das, questioned whether the state is effectively ‘surrendering’ its position under the guise of pursuing an amicable settlement process.
During the hearing, the tribunal expressed strong displeasure over both states’ failure to comply with earlier directions. It had instructed them April 11 to submit the required data by April 20.
However, both sides instead sought additional time, drawing further criticism.
The tribunal has now directed the states to submit the information by May 2, warning that in the absence of satisfactory progress, it will proceed independently without further delay.
The developments have intensified public scrutiny over the tribunal’s functioning, which has been ongoing for eight years at considerable public expense.
Members of the movement, including Basudev Bhatta, Manoj Jena, Bijay Pradhan, Sachikanta Pradhan, Prasanna Bisoi, Jyoti Mahapatra and Arjun Samantaray, termed the situation alarming and demanded greater accountability from both state governments.
