Nabarangpur: In the ongoing Mahanadi river water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the latter’s conspiracy against this state has surfaced yet again. Its mega project on Tel river is feared to deprive several Orisha districts of much-needed water.
Sources said that under the Chhattisgarh government’s mega irrigation project, several barrages are being constructed on Tel, affecting water flows to many villages of Odisha on the border. The project is set on the confluence of Tel and Barahi rivers. This is just 500 metres off Khaparadihi village under Chandahandi block in Nabarangpur district of Odisha. The project aimed at irrigating over 3,000 acre agricultural land.
The Chhattisgarh government has sanctioned Rs 18crore for the project’s initial phase and works have been assigned to a private construction firm of Chhattisgarh by name ‘Amit Construction’.
Sources said that the works on the concrete wall were in progress and a technical team equipped with advanced technology has been deployed for the construction.
The aim of the project is to check the flow of waters of Tel and Barahi to downstream areas and use the waters for irrigation in Chhattisgarh villages, said the Amit Construction in-charge LP Chaturbedi.
Underground pipes would be laid to irrigate agricultural lands. There would be no canal system or pumping.
Sources said Chhattisgarh had planned the project many years ago for providing irrigation to 30 villages under Deobhog block in the state. Over 3,000 hectares of land in Chhattisgarh will be benefited.
Odisha will bear the brunt. The project will put thousands of locals, who were dependent on Tel river for agriculture, in trouble in Khaparadihi Mouza area under Chandahandi block in Nabarangpur district.
Notably, Tel river, one of the tributaries of Mahanadi, flows through Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Balangir and Sonepur districts of Odisha.
Several villages on the border under Chandahandi block will be marooned if the flow of Tel river water is obstructed, the locals fear.
PNN
