‘Let’s have rational approach on Mahanadi issue’

| | BHUBANESWAR | in Bhubaneswar

People should think rationally about the dispute between the Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi, said Water Resources Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena at a programme on “Sharing of People’s Perspectives on the issue of Mahanadi” organised by the ActionAid here on Saturday.

Jena said the department is planning to have new river basin projects focusing primarily on livelihood of people and about providing drinking water.

Elaborating on annual rainfall in a part of Karnataka, he said the farmers of the area get around 300-400 mm annual rainfall but get good crop as it has proper utilisation of water. But the scenario in Odisha is just the opposite. Here even after receiving around 1,300-1,400 mm rainfall, the farmers are facing drought, he said.

Jena said there is need of creating awareness and training on techniques to the farmers to use less water and harvest good crops.

He also said basin management is needed for water conservation and all stakeholders should contribute for the same.

Stressing on water conservation, he said people, NGOs and all stakeholders should be made aware of watershed management, plantation, soil conservation, check dams and water harvesting on small and large scales.

A resident of Chhattisgarh, Raghubir, alleged that the Chhattisgarh Government is providing water to the industries rather than to the farmers for which farmers are facing problems. The water to industries has become the major source of revenue for the Chhattisgarh Government, he added.

He also said rate of water is higher than paddy as a one liter water bottle costs Rs 20 and paddy costs Rs 15.

Columnist and researcher Bimal Prasad Pandia in his presentation mentioned that as per 1947 report of unified basin plan, the water potential of Hirakud was 74 billion cubic meter (BCM) but as per the study of CWC in 2012 is has be reduced to 61.35 BCM. It has reduced to 16 per cent or one third in 70 years, he added.

Former bureaucrat Arabinda Behera, journalist Sudarshan Chhotoray, ActionAid programme coordinator Priyabrata Satpathy, leader (NR-KA hub) Bratindi Jena and regional manager Debabrat Patra also spoke.