BY PRASANTA KUMAR DASH
Bhubaneswar, Aug 7: At a time when hope of Odisha people for a perennial stream of water in the Mahanadi in the non-monsoon was dwindling away after the commission of the world’s biggest soil-dam Hirakud reservoir in 1953, the consonance of the upper cachment-state Chhattisgarh and Odisha, the end-riparian state Odisha, rekindled the possibility once again.
Following the CM-level initiation and Secretarial reviews between the Chhattisgarh & Odisha government with intermediary of Ministry of Water Resources itself, the crossword puzzle is going to be solved, almost a few steps ahead.
In a latest development to the string of efforts meant for solving the long-run dispute amicably centering proportionate distribution of the Mahanadi water between the two states, both of the states have agreed on preparing their own draft agreement that’s to be submitted to the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal on September 21, 2025.
Acting on the Tribunal’s interest, Odisha as the riparian claimant has readied its draft agreement, meticulously prepared by hydrology experts and legal miscellany.
According to reliable sources, the Draft Agreement on the Mahanadi Water Dispute, has already been prepared by Trasnboundary Water Law expert Mohann Katarki and senior Advocate Anindita Pujari, Wise Counsel for Odisha.
The essential draft was prepared on Tuesday in New Delhi. After essential compilation of a few technical database incorporated in it, it will be finalized by Odisha government shortly. According to the water resources officials, the final draft will be submitted to the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal by the Odisha Advocate General as the consensual Agreement that will pave way towards an amicable settlement.
Though the content of the draft is in lock&key so far, it’s expected that the experts have inculcated their best in the documemnt to adjudicate the state’s legitimate share of water resources carried by the Mahanadi, that’s considered as the life-line for Odisha.
The Mahandai Water dispute that involves two lawful contenders, Chhattisgarh on the upper cachment and Odisha at the lower-end, centres on water sharing from the Mahanadi River, which flows from Chhattisgarh to Odisha. Odisha alleges that Chhattisgarh’s construction of upstream dams and barrages restricts water flow. This affects agriculture and livelihoods in Odisha’s lower basin, especially outside the monsoon season. The conflict persisted for decades with limited progress.
With diminished stream in the deep River for years together, Odisha approached the Supreme Court in 2016 seeking a tribunal under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956. The Centre formed the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in 2018. The tribunal’s work involved data submissions, inspections, and hearings.
The third phase of the dispute came to light when Odisha, as the lower riparian state, voiced its protest over the building of existing and proposed dams and barrages by Chhattisgarh, specifically in the upper part of the basin.
