Bhubaneswar: Water is a valuable resource but the water flow into most rivers of Odisha has been dwindling rapidly owing to climate change. Worse, some rivers are left dry even in the monsoons.
Given this condition, environmentalists warn that the state will face severe water crisis by 2050.
On the other hand, some industrial units in the state have been exploiting the water from rivers and canals at throwaway prices. If things are allowed to continue, the state will have to grope for a drop of water in a few years.
According to information from the Water Resources department, 245 industrial units have been drawing 55,928.544 litres of water from 10 major rivers, while 794 industrial units are exploiting 1,064.56 litres of groundwater in the state. As a rule, the amount of water supplied to industrial units is measured with flow meter.
Contrary to the official data, many industrial units have been using water exceeding the limits fixed by the government.
For fiscal 2020-21, the Irrigation Department has fixed only Rs 9.52 per 1,000 litres of water for small and heavy industries (using 5 cusecs), while Rs 12.60 was fixed for 1,000 litre of water for industries using more than 5 cusecs.
According to an estimate, industrial units have drawn 987.54 billion litres of river and groundwater in 2018-19 alone. Currently, they are using 31.31 billion litre of water in the state.
What is shocking is that some industries using water at such low costs are not even paying water tax and some big industrial units have gone to courts to evade water tax.
In the last several years, 15 industrial units have managed to evade tax amounting to Rs 2,665.88 crore. Add to this the amount government has to spend in courts to realize the dues.
Water is also vital for thermal power generation. About 4,000 cusec is required to generate 1,320 MW power. For a generation of 2MW hydropower, 1 cusec water is required. The power-producing companies are spending less than 0.2 paise per litre of water while thermal power units have to spend `2.81 to `3.47 to generate one unit of power.
On the pretext of granting employment, rich are establishing their plants in the state and looting natural resources like water. The Centre-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) at Kaniha near Talcher is a case in this point. This plant is drawing 105 cusecs of water from Samal barrage of Brahmani river and later selling the power generated in the state to outside states.
Similarly, Bhushan and other firms are using the water of Odisha and selling the power to Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.
Although water is a state subject, Odisha is losing its right on water due to frequent intervention by the Centre and National Green Tribunal (NGT). The situation is becoming worse as Mahanadi – the lifeline of the state, is going dry during summer. This has happened as Chhattisgarh has stopped the free flow of Mahanadi water to the state by constructing 16 large barrages on the river, thereby resulting in an inter-state dispute.