Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, May 29: A team of Union water resources department, which made its visit to the state Friday, held discussions with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the issue of interlinking of River Mahanadi with Godavari.
The team comprising Union water resources deputy secretary Amarjeet Singh, Union Water Commission chairman AV Pandia and National Water Development Agency DG Masud Husen met the CM Friday evening at the Secretariat.
However, sources said the meeting was in vain as the state government is not keen on the interlinking project as it considers it necessary to store the Mahanadi’s waters for the growth of the state’s agriculture and industry sectors.
A dream project of the Central government, the National River Linking Project (NRLP) – formally known as the National Perspective Plan – envisages the transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins where there is flooding to water ‘deficit’ basins where there is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer projects.
As per this project, interlinking of rivers across the country will take place to take the surplus waters of the Himalayan region to the peninsular basin from the Ganga via Mahanadi. Under the project, water from the Himalayan basin will pass through Ganga following which it will pass through Baitarani, Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers to enter Rushikulya, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery rivers.
Sources said during its journey through Orissa, the water will be blocked near Manibhadra in Nayagarh by constructing a dam. An 827-km long canal will be built in Nayagarh district to control the water flow towards the peninsular basin. The water routes will pass through Nayagarh, Khurda, Ganjam and Gajapati districts in Orissa and Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts in Andhra Pradesh to reach the peninsular basin.
