BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Tuesday claimed that the annual water availability and yield of Mahanadi water up to Hirakud reservoir clearly suggest that the structures constructed by the Chhattisgarh government have affected the downstream flow.
Commenting on the water availability and yield of the Mahanadi river by the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, deputy leader of Opposition Prasanna Acharya said that a closer look at the data submitted reveals why the average availability and yield from the Mahanadi up to Hirakud reservoir indicate a critical issue.
The JTC recently submitted its report to the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT). As per the document submitted by the JTC of both states, the availability and yield for Odisha and Chhattisgarh have been calculated at 33.17 million acre feet (MAF) and 28.94 MAF, respectively, for the period 1980-81 to 2018-19.
Acharya, a former minister, said a close inspection would suggest that the average availability and yield for Odisha and Chhattisgarh up to Hirakud reservoir are 4.82 MAF and 27.76 MAF, respectively. The huge difference is because of barrages constructed by the Chhattisgarh government upstream of the Mahanadi river. This has disturbed water management at Hirakud reservoir, he added.
“It is not realistic to expect the Tribunal to order the demolition of the barrages constructed by the Chhattisgarh government at a huge cost, but it can order control of water release. The Tribunal should ask the Chhattisgarh government to release a certain amount of water for proper management of Hirakud water,” he said. The state BJP has not commented on the matter so far. The Tribunal’s next hearing is scheduled for May 30.