Mahanadi water row: Odisha and Chhattisgarh agree on mutual settlement, says Minister in Parliament

Odisha and Chhattisgarh have expressed their willingness to resolve the long-standing Mahanadi river water dispute through mutual consent. This was stated by Union Minister for Water Resources (Jal Shakti) Raj Bhushan Choudhary on Thursday.

Also Read: Mahanadi water row: Odisha Minister blames previous BJD-led government for tribunal delays

The Union Minister said this in his written reply in the Parliament to a question raised by Odisha MP Pradeep Purohit regarding the Mahanadi Tribunal.

Minister Choudhary informed that both the states have conveyed before the tribunal their agreement to pursue an amicable solution. Discussions are being held at multiple levels to arrive at a mutually acceptable settlement of the dispute.

So far, the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) has conducted at least 49 hearings and recorded evidence related to the case. However, no interim report has been submitted yet. The Minister further stated that the current tenure of the tribunal is scheduled to end on April 13 this year.

This development signals a positive step toward cooperative federalism, with both Odisha and Chhattisgarh aiming to resolve the sensitive inter-state water-sharing issue through dialogue rather than prolonged legal confrontation.

Worth mentioning, earlier on January 23, a high-level meeting related to the Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal was held at Lok Seva Bhawan under the chairmanship of Deputy CM KV Singh Deo. Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, and Chief Secretary Anu Garg were among the senior officials present at the meeting.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the Revenue Minister had launched a sharp attack on Biju Janata Dal (BJD), alleging that the delay in the Mahanadi Tribunal process occurred during the BJD’s tenure. He had said the roots of the problem lie in the party’s 24 years in power, during which the construction of barrages in neighbouring Chhattisgarh was not opposed effectively at that time.

“We have inherited the Mahanadi River water dispute from the previous government. The issue was created during the long 24 years of governance of the BJD. Starting from 2014 up to 2022, the then Chhattisgarh government constructed more than 500 barrages, one after another, which could have been opposed (by Odisha),” the Revenue Minister had said.