BHUBANESWAR: Water activists on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take initiative to resolve the Mahanadi river dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh through negotiation without relying on the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal.
A delegation comprising members of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, Daya Suraksha Abhijan, Chilika Bachao Andolan, Nadi Suraksha Samiti and other organisations met Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at his official residence here and submitted a memorandum urging him to take steps to protect the rivers of the state.
The delegation said resolving river water disputes between states with the help of tribunal takes years and do not often result in amicable solution. “Odisha should take initiative to resolve the dispute now as BJP is currently in power at the Centre and neighbouring state Chhattisgarh,” they said.
Stating that almost all the rivers in Odisha have reached a dying stage because of over-exploitation, pollution and encroachment, the delegation urged Majhi to formulate a river policy. “Besides, a River Mission should be constituted for revival of the rivers,” they said adding, the state might face severe water scarcity in the future if no steps are taken.
The delegation further requested the chief minister to recover encroached river land to facilitate free flow of such water bodies.
Citing that pollution of Daya river resulted in spread of diarrhoea in Kanas area of Puri district, the activists demanded that appropriate drinking water arrangements be made for villages in the area till Daya river is decontaminated. Gangua nullah should be given the status of a river, they reiterated.
“The chief minister has assured us that he would consider the points and take necessary action,” said convenor of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan Sudarsan Das.