Mahanadi water dispute: Chhattisgarh closes Kalma barrage gate again

Bhubaneswar: The Mahanadi water dispute between the Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments is in Supreme Court. Yet, the neighbouring state has again closed gates on the Kalma barrage. This has affected many panchayats in Jharsuguda district.

While the upper catchment of the barrage is full of water, the lower catchment is dry and full of sand since the Kalma barrage gate is shut. With 66 gates closed on the barrage time and again by Chhattisgarh, the flow of water to the lower areas has severely reduced.

BJD has raised the issue whereas BJP says these are false allegations.

"Chhattisgarh government is releasing water to the lower areas as per their wish. Many a times they close the gate for a few days in a week which is affecting lives of people living in the lower catchment. Right now the Kalma gate is closed since a week," said BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb.

Even a few villages of Chhattisgarh are being affected due to which Chhattisgharh Janata Congress is protesting the move of the local BJP government. "The gates cannot be closed completely. This is affecting lives of people in Odisha as well as Chhattisgarh," said Gitanjali Patel of the Chhattisgharh Janata Congress.

BJP leader and Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan however said these are false allegations. "If the Odisha government has facts regarding this allegation they must expose it in  public," said Pradhan.