Bhubaneswar: The Mahanadi Bachao Andolan (MBA) has demanded immediate public disclosure of the Central Water Commission (CWC) report on the proposed sharing of Mahanadi River water between Odisha and Chhattisgarh, raising concerns over the state’s long-term water security, agricultural needs and ecological sustainability.
“Odisha’s people cannot be kept in the dark while decisions are taken about the future of the Mahanadi,” Das said, emphasising that transparency was a democratic responsibility and not a concession by the government.
In a press statement issued Wednesday, MBA convener Sudarshan Das and other members called upon the Centre and the state government to make the complete report public, along with the supporting da ta, technical assessments, calculations, recommendations and scientific methodology used to arrive at the proposed water-sharing formula.
Citing a newspaper report, Das said Odisha had reportedly been proposed an allocation of 24 million acre-feet (MAF) of water, while Chhattisgarh would receive 22 MAF.
The organisation sought a detailed explanation of the scientific data, assessment criteria and principles under pinning the proposed allocations.
The MBA questioned whether the assessment had adequately factored in changing river flows, rainfall patterns, impact of cli mate change, upstream water consumption and the future water requirements of both states.
It stressed that a transparent and scientifically sound assessment was essential before any final decision was taken on the sharing of the river’s waters.