Mahanadi row: 15 Ch’garh barrages have Centre’s nod

New Delhi: The Central Water Commission (CWC) has completed the technical feasibility study of 15 of the 21 industrial barrages constructed on the inter-state Mahanadi basin by the Chhattisgarh government, the Union government claimed.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha Thursday, Minister of State for Water Resources and River Development Arjun Ram Meghwal since 2003 the Central Water Commission (CWC) of the Union government has given nod to only 15 major and medium size industrial barrages constructed by the Chhattisgarh government while the six minor projects on the Mahanadi basin have received environmental clearance from the state government body.
In a reply to an unstarred question of BJD MP from Balasore, Rabindra Kumar Jena, the Minister said, “Central Water Commission under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation undertakes techno-economic appraisal of major (command area more than 10,000 hectares) and medium (command area more than 2,000 hectares and less than 10,000 hectares) irrigation projects that are planned on inter-state river/river basins.”
The minister also provided a list of 15 barrages constructed by Chhattisgarh on the Mahanadi river, which had the approval of CWC, while for the remaining six projects, which got the state clearance in 2014, the Minster said, “Environmental clearance for six barrages on river Mahanadi has been accorded by State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Chhattisgarh.”
The six projects, which did not have the approval from the CWC included Samoda Barrage, Sheorinarayan Barrage, Basantpur Barrage, Mironi Barrage, Saradih Barrage and Kalma Barrage.
As per the claim submitted by Odisha government to the ministry through a complaint dated 19.11.2016 under Section 3 of the Inter State River Water Dispute (ISRWD) Act, 1956, the requirement of water in Chhattisgarh for the purposes of existing, ongoing and future irrigation, industrial use and domestic
projects will be to the extent of 33.89 BCM.
In its complaint, the Government of Odisha raised issues like quantum of minimum flow in Hirakud dam, surplus flow and shares of states in minimum and surplus flows.