Amit Shah To Chair Odisha-Chhattisgarh Talks On Mahanadi Water Dispute

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday between the chief ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh to discuss the long-running dispute over sharing the waters of the Mahanadi river. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said both states have agreed to accept the Central Water Commission’s decision on the issue if it is in their mutual interest.

Sai, who travelled to Delhi for the meeting, said Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and he had conveyed their willingness to abide by the CWC’s decision.

“Whatever decision the CWC takes in the interest of our states, we both will accept,” Sai said, according to news agency ANI.

The meeting follows several rounds of talks between the two states and the Centre aimed at finding a negotiated settlement to the dispute, which has continued for more than a decade.

What Is The Mahanadi Water Dispute?

The dispute centres on the sharing and management of the Mahanadi, which originates in Chhattisgarh and flows through Odisha before draining into the Bay of Bengal.

Odisha has long objected to barrages and other water projects constructed by Chhattisgarh in the river’s upstream areas, arguing that they reduce the flow available to the downstream state, particularly during the non-monsoon season.

Odisha raised the issue with the Centre in 2016 and subsequently approached the Supreme Court. The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted in March 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, to adjudicate the dispute. The tribunal remains part of the formal process, while the Centre and the CWC have also been facilitating negotiations between the two states.

Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, has maintained that it needs to use its share of the river’s water for irrigation, industrial and domestic requirements.

Why The Dispute Is Being Discussed Again

Efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue gathered momentum this year. On July 30, Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil chaired a meeting with Sai and Majhi, along with senior officials from the ministry, the CWC and both state governments. The Centre said the discussions were aimed at an amicable settlement through dialogue, technical cooperation and “cooperative federalism”.

In July, the tribunal also encouraged the two states to pursue conciliatory talks, with the Jal Shakti Ministry and CWC facilitating the process. It directed the states to form a joint technical committee and work towards a negotiated framework.

The issue gained further momentum after Majhi and Sai met in Bhubaneswar in September. Sai subsequently said there was no major problem between the two states over the river and expressed confidence that the dispute could be resolved through dialogue.

Thursday’s meeting marks the latest effort by the Centre and the two states to find a mutually acceptable formula for sharing and managing the Mahanadi’s waters.