Mahanadi tribunal team begins second phase field survey in Chhattisgarh

Bhubaneswar: A team of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal today began its second phase visit to Chhattisgarh.

The team had undertaken a five-day visit to the neighbouring state from April 17 to 21 in the first phase.

The members of the team today visited the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi at Kumbhari in Durg district of Chhattisgarh, sources said.

The team is scheduled to visit Mahanadi river system in Bilaspur, Raigarh and Janjgir-Champa areas of Chhattisgarh in next few days, they added.

The team will visit Kumbhari anicut, Haradi anicut, Bango project, Kalama barrage, Kelo project and a few other projects in the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh before reaching Jharsuguda in Odisha, sources said.

It is learnt that Chhattisgarh government has constituted a 22-member team comprising experts in river water management, bureaucrats, engineers and lawyers to answer the queries of Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal team members.

“A group of experts from Odisha is likely to meet the tribunal team at Bilaspur,” said a source.

Notably, the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal was formed in March 2018 after Odisha government filed a complaint with the Ministry of Jal Shakti in connection with the inter-state water dispute.

The tenure of the tribunal has been extended twice since 2018. The tribunal has been asked to submit its report by December 2025.

The tribunal had decided to undertake field visits in Chhattisgarh and Odisha in two phases to study the water flow and storage of water at various barrages during a hearing on the inter-state water dispute recently.