Lakhanpur/Sambalpur: Members of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal Tuesday inspected the Kelo dam and Kalma barrage in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district as part of field visits ahead of the final decision in the long-running water-sharing dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
Tribunal chairperson Justice Bela M Trivedi, along with members Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Indermeet Kaur Kochhar, visited the sites and reviewed their current status. Officials from the governments of Odisha and Chhattisgarh accompanied the team.
After arriving at the Jindal airstrip, the tribunal members began inspections of several dams and barrages in Raigarh and Sakti districts. The dispute centres on the construction of barrages and dams across the Mahanadi river and its distributaries in Chhattisgarh. The Odisha government has alleged that these projects are reducing water flow into the Hirakud reservoir, particularly during the non-monsoon season, affecting agriculture, drinking water supply and industrial needs in the state.