Hans News Service Bhubaneswar

Thechief ministers of Odisha and Chhattisgarh on Thursday agreed to resolve the long-standing dispute over the sharing of Mahanadi water between the neighbouring States through “cooperation, coordination and constructive dialogue,” an official said.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Dev Sai were part of a high-level meeting held in New Delhi on Thursday under the chairmanship of Union Water Resources Minister C R Patil, related to Mahanadi water distribution and management. Majhi stressed on determining a solution to the water sharing between the two States by giving utmost priority to the rights of Odisha, public interest, welfare of farmers and protection of the environment.

“In this meeting, both the chief ministers expressed their views to find a permanent and satisfactory solution to the Mahanadi water issue through cooperation, coordination and constructive dialogue between the two States in a cordial atmosphere,” it stated. It was decided at the meeting that a committee headed by the Chairman of the Central Water Commission will submit its report to the Mahanadi Tribunal within three months on resolution of the dispute.

“In this meeting, our side has firmly presented Odisha’s position, giving utmost priority to the rights of the State, the future of our riparian communities, and the protection of the State’s water resources. We are committed to finding a permanent, fair, and satisfactory solution to the Mahanadi water issue through constructive discussions, mutual cooperation, and a friendly approach between the two States,” Majhi said in a post on X.

The water dispute between the two States has been continuing since over a decade, as Odisha alleged that the free flow of the Mahanadi river was blocked by construction of barrages and weirs in the upstream by Chhattisgarh to provide water to industries.

Chhattisgarh, on its part, claimed that the State takes its share of the river water and nothing more. It also alleged that Odisha failed to utilise the water available to it. Subsequently, the Central government formed the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal in 2018.