TV
The Department of Water Resources (DoWR) of Odisha has issued new guidelines prohibiting any organisation from laying pipelines arbitrarily across rivers, reservoirs, or water bodies.
As per an official notification, entities must now secure a Water Body Crossing Permission before initiating any such work. The move comes amid concerns over unregulated pipeline activities and their potential impact on water resources and embankment safety.
Standard Operating Procedure For DoWR Permission
In an order dated September 8, the DoWR introduced a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for granting Right of Way (RoW) permission over department land, reservoirs, and water corridors.
The SOP applies to industries, urban local bodies, and government organisations intending to lay pipelines. Applicants are required to submit proposals to the Engineer-in-Chief, who will initiate scrutiny, followed by a multi-level verification involving divisional officers, chief engineers, and a technical committee.
The guidelines specify that pipeline alignments must run along the extreme end of DoWR land, safeguarding provisions for future embankment widening or modification. In cases where crossings are proposed over rivers, canals or major drains, engineers must assess scour depth, high flood levels, and structural suitability before approval.
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Multi-Level Vetting And Technical Safeguards
According to the order, divisional officers will conduct joint field inspections with applicant representatives, ensuring adherence to prescribed depth levels for pipeline laying.
The proposals will then undergo scrutiny at multiple levels, including checks by Chief Engineers (Designs and Planning), before being placed before a Technical Committee formed under DoWR’s 2021 order.
The department has clarified that no compensation will be entertained if future modifications to canal or river alignments necessitate changes to an already approved pipeline corridor. The timeline for granting RoW permission has been fixed at 45 days, provided applications are complete in all respects.
