Odisha and C’garh agree to hold Joint Board to resolve Mahanadi Row

In a major breakthrough, the governments of Odisha and Chhattisgarh have agreed to hold a Joint Committee (Joint Control Board) under the agreement of 1983, to resolve the Mahanadi row in an amicable manner. The meeting between the Chief Secretaries of both states was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Water Resources Secretary.

Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand addressed the media after the meeting and said that his state would cooperate with Odisha for free flow of Mahanadi water throughout the year. We will make sure that Hirakud Dam is not affected, he added.

Mr. Dhand made a sensational revelation quoting his counterpart Aditya Padhi that Odisha has been able to utilize just 2% of the total Mahanadi Water for unknown reasons. Full utilization of water would have been in the best interest of the state, which was not done.