Bhubaneswar, April 19: Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal began a five-day field survey in Chhattisgarh to study the water flow downstream and the availability and use of water in non-monsoon season from Wednesday.
The three-member committee led by Supreme Court Justice AM Khanwilkar will visit the Mahanadi upstream, including the origin point of the river, Sandur dam, Ravishankar Sagar, and other major tributaries.
The committee will inspect basins in Chhattisgarh and Odisha and the availability and use of water during the monsoon sessions.
In the first phase of the survey ending April 22, the tribunal will cover the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh, and the nd field visit is scheduled to start on April 29 and will continue till May 3.
Sources said the team is likely to visit the Kelo Dam region on May 3, 2023. The team will take stock of the situation in the Hirakud dam’s upper catchment.
Stating that the matter should not have gone to the tribunal, he said the state could not construct a dam in Surguja and barrages (in other places) because of the ongoing dispute over water sharing. “Mahanadi originates in Chhattisgarh and we don’t have a dam here. The dispute erupted after barrages were constructed. Due to the ongoing dispute over water sharing, we could not construct a dam in Surguja and barrages (in other places). I understand we should get permission (for the construction), as the entire water of the river goes to Odisha.”
The Mahanadi is the lifeline of Chhattisgarh, with 78% of the state’s population living in the basin, he added.
According to reports, Chhattisgarh’s water resources department’s future developmental activities will depend on the outcome of the award of the tribunal, in terms of the quantum of water allocated to the state, which will be valid until 2051.
