Chhattisgarh opens 7 gates of Kalma barrage

Bhubaneswar: As many as seven gates of the Kalma barrage in Chhattisgarh were today opened owing to heavy rainfall in upper catchment area of Mahanadi river, an official of the Central Water Commission (CWC) said.

It may be recalled here that, protesting the unilateral decision of Chhattisgarh to close gates of Kalma barrage resulting in acute water crisis in downstream areas, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to his counterpart Raman Singh demanding immediate reopening of the gates to ensure free flow of Mahandi water.

Patnaik had also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opening of gates of Kalma and other barrages to maintain the free flow of water downstream which is the rightful claim of Odisha and its inhabitants.