By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, July 4, 2016 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday expressed strong exception to neighbouring Chhattisgarh government’s several dam project plans across Mahanadi saying that it would adversely affect the interests of the farmers of the state.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sought his immediate intervention on this issue and instruction to the Central government agencies to play their fair role proactively and safeguard the interests of the farmers of Odisha.

“As you are aware Mahanadi is the lifeline of Odisha and it contributes maximum irrigation in our state. Lives and livelihood of the farmers of fifteen districts i.e. Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Angul, Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Puri, Nayagarh and Khurda are fully dependent on Mahanadi. In fact, River Mahanadi has a direct impact on more than 50 % of our population and indirectly through subsidiaries the Mahanadi System has an impact on around 65% of the population of our state,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“From time immemorial, the people of Odisha have an emotional, cultural and organic relationship with the Holy Mahanadi River. It is across Mahanadi that the first major multipurpose river valley project of Odisha ‘Hirakud Dam’ was built between 1948 and 1957 and is considered as a ‘Temple of Modern India’. I would like to bring to your kind notice some of the major unilateral acts of Government of Chhatisgarh with an intention to use all the available yield of Mahanadi”, he added.

“Seven pick-up weirs across river Mahanadi just upstream of the Hirakud Dam such as Saradi weir and Kalama weir, seven nos of diversion weirs across river Arpa (a tributary of river Seonath, which again is a tributary of river Mahanadi) such as Khongasara Project, Salka Project and Bilaspur project have already been constructed. Ambaguda Diversion Project, Salka Diversion Project, Lachhanpur Diversion Project including Arpa-Bhaisajhar Barrage Project are under execution. Two new projects such as Pairy-Mahanadi Intra State Link Project and Tandula Reservoir Augmentation Scheme on Mahanadi River Project having a severe adverse impact on flow of water in Hirakud Reservoir are being proposed by the Government. It is further learnt that Government of Chhatisgarh is also contemplating construction of a reservoir based dam in Kelo River adjacent to Odisha Border,” Naveen Patnaik said.

The chief minister also made it clear that in a federal system, the interests of the people of Odisha have been completely neglected. We are shocked that a Central agency like the Central Water Commission has remained silent on this issue. Being a nodal agency, they are expected to be neutral and should play a proactive role in safeguarding the interests of farmers of the riparian state of Odisha. I hope that the Ministry of Environment and Forests also takes up this issue, keeping in view our interests, he expressed.

“I would request your good office to advise the Chhattisgarh Government to immediately stop the unilateral construction of such major structures across Mahanadi. I have faith that your kind intervention will help in safeguarding the interests of the millions of farmers of our State for whom Mahanadi River System is the lifeline,” he concluded.