Mahanadi tribunal to make field visits in two phases

The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal will undertake a field visit to Chhattisgarh and Odisha in two phases to study the water flow downstream and storage of water at various barrages. The decision to conduct a field survey was taken by the tribunal during a hearing on the water disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh in New Delhi on Saturday.

As per the decision, a team of the tribunal will undertake a five-day visit to Chhattisgarh from April 17 to 21 in the first phase. Technical teams from the two states will assist the tribunal members during their field visit.In the second phase, the tribunal members will visit Odisha from April 29 to May 3. The study will mostly cover the water flow to the lower basin of the Mahanadi river during the non-monsoon period.

The decision of the tribunal to conduct a field study came at a time when there is a drastic fall of water in the Hirakud water reservoir. The current live water storage in the dam is 48 per cent of the full reservoir level (FRL). The live storage this year is 10 per cent less than in the same period last year. The reservoir level of Hirakud on Saturday was 616.81 ft as against 620.62 ft this day in 2022. The full reservoir level of the dam is 630 ft.

The Mahanadi water dispute rocked the Assembly with the Opposition blaming the state government for the declining water level while the ruling BJD held the Centre responsible. Leader of the Congress legislature party Narsingh Mishra said the state government has miserably failed to resolve the issue.

He said two committees were set up – one headed by the chief minister and another by Speaker of the Assembly – to take up the issue with the Centre. The two committees did not convene a single meeting to discuss the issue. Now the result is for everyone to see, he added. Expressing concern over the water level in Hirakud, senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra said if the trend continues, it will come down to the dead storage level.