BHUBANESWAR: Officials from Odisha and Chhattisgarh on Monday held discussion over the Mahanadi river water dispute between the two states on the Supreme Court premises as per the direction of the tribunal to amicably settle the issue through talks.
The Mahanadi River Water Disputes Tribunal had directed both the states on February 9 to amicably resolve the problem. However, officials remained tight-lipped about the outcome of the meeting. Sources maintained that the release of water during the non-monsoon season was discussed at the meeting. If a solution is reached, an interim arrangement will be made for the benefit of both the states. Secretaries from the department of Water Resources, engineers and lawyers from both the states attended the meeting.
The three-member bench of Tribunal, Chairperson Justice AM Khanwilkar, Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Indermit Kaur, while hearing the interim application of Odisha Government, directed both states to file a written submission in two weeks. The Bench made it clear that if the two states are not arriving at an amicable solution to the issue, it will pronounce its final judgment during next hearing on March 9.
The State Government, through an affidavit, had contended that as per the tripartite agreement on Mahanadi water sharing between Odisha, Chhattisgarh and the Centre, the neighbouring state should release 1.74 million acre-feet water to Odisha during the non-monsoon season. But till January 1, 2019, Chhattisgrah had blocked 2.76 million acre-feet water with the six barrages it had built on the upstream of Mahanadi.
The Centre had constituted the three-member tribunal in March 2018 under section-4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 following a directive of the Supreme Court on January 23, 2018. The State Government had moved the Supreme Court in 2016 seeking a direction to Chhattisgarh Government to stop all construction of barrages and dams on the upper stream of the Mahanadi river.
Following the apex court order, the Union Cabinet on February 20, 2018 approved the proposal to constitute a Tribunal.The tribunal will determine water sharing among basin states on the basis of the overall availability of water in the complete Mahanadi basin, contribution and present utilisation of water resources in each state and the potential for future development.