Odisha and Chhattisgarh Hold Tripartite Talks to Resolve Mahanadi Water Dispute

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that the long-pending Mahanadi river water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh is expected to be resolved amicably within three months. The announcement followed a high-level tripartite negotiation in New Delhi, chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil and attended by the Chief Ministers of both basin states.

The Mahanadi river dispute stems from Odisha's objections to Chhattisgarh's construction of several barrages and dams upstream, including the Kalma barrage. Odisha argues that these upstream structures reduce water inflows into the Hirakud reservoir during lean non-monsoon months, impacting irrigation, power generation, and drinking water supplies in downstream districts. The Union Government had previously constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in 2018.

The Mahanadi is the sixth-largest river in India, originating from the Sihawa region in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh and flowing through Odisha before draining into the Bay of Bengal. The river basin covers an area of over 141,000 square kilometers, shared primarily between Chhattisgarh (53%) and Odisha (46%), with minor portions in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

Reaching an out-of-tribunal settlement marks a significant shift toward cooperative federalism in managing inter-state river systems. For civil services candidates, this topic is directly applicable to UPSC Mains GS Paper II (Inter-State Relations, Article 262) and GS Paper I (Geography of Indian River Systems), as well as SSC geography questions.