Even as Odisha’s battle for justice over Mahanadi continues, the state’s case seems to have been strengthened by some important facts that have come to light. The most important of these facts is that the inflow of water into Odisha’s part of the Mahanadi has reduced considerably over the last three decades, with the Chhattisgarh government constructing about 516 barrages in the upper catchment area of the river.
The inflow of water into the river during the non-monsoon period went down by 4% between 1991 and 2005. Thereafter, till 2016, water inflow reduced by 37 percent. This had an immediate impact on the Hirakud dam, the biggest reservoir on the river. The inflow of water into the reservoir dropped significantly.
After that, there was a drastic reduction in water inflow because of the construction of a large number of barrages by the Chhattisgarh government. While water inflow reduced by 65 percent in 2016-17, the fall was 61 percent in 2017-18 and 57 percent in 2018-19.
The dispute over Mahanadi between Odisha and Chhattisgarh has been lingering for several decades now. The Centre has constituted a tribunal to address the issue but its award is awaited. Odisha hopes for justice from the tribunal because it has suffered a lot on account of the declining flow of river’s water in the state.
With Mahanadi being the largest river of Odisha, the state’s farmers of nearly 15 districts depend completely on it for agriculture-related activities. The river has also been catering to the needs of industry, which remains a controversial issue. Considering the multipurpose uses of Mahanadi’s water, any reduction in the inflow of water into the river from its upper catchment area, which falls almost entirely in Chhattisgarh, can be highly detrimental to the interests of the state.
Odisha in the past has raised the issue several times at almost all available forums. The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had also sent a delegation of party leaders to Chhattisgarh to make an on-spot assessment of the situation. The leaders had confirmed that the Chhattisgarh government had indeed raised several structures over the river unilaterally which was affecting the flow of Mahanadi’s water on Odisha side. People of Odisha living close to the Chhattisgarh border were suffering the most because of the drop in the river’s water flow. Even fish catch from the river in Odisha had declined.
The BJD had sought to turn the state’s demand for justice on Mahanadi into a people’s movement by organizing a “padyatra” along the banks of the river. It was following sustained pressure from the state government that the Centre was forced to constitute a tribunal to resolve the dispute. Odisha hopes for justice from the tribunal even as its battle for a fair share of the river’s water rages on.
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