Bhubaneswar: The state government is all set to frame a river policy to meet irrigation and drinking water needs.
The policy will also have provisions to revitalise all the rivers flowing within or through the state. The government has decided to organise a workshop next month for preparing a blueprint for the proposed policy, said an official of the Water Resources department.
The state government’s decision to frame an exclusive river policy came amid reports that water flow in most of the 33 rivers (including tributaries) has gone down in recent years; many rivers are actually experiencing low water flow even during the rainy season due to climate change and other causes, sources said.
It is learnt that the Water Resources department will survey the status of all rivers including their water flow and water bearing capacity before framing the policy. Moreover, the department will also study the biodiversities of rivers and the occupations of the riparian people.
It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court of India has expressed concern over dwindling water flow in rivers in several parts of the country and sought reports on the status and biodiversities of rivers from 10 states including Odisha.
The apex court has asked states to mention about the water flow in rivers and the impact of climate change on their biodiversities in the reports. “The state government will frame the river policy in accordance with SC direction on the issue,” said the official.
According to sources, the proposed policy will have adequate provisions for restoration of rivers in state and revitalising groundwater. “The state government may dredge the riverbeds and lay channels on them to sustain water flow during summer. It will construct small and medium barrages on rivers to store water for irrigation and drinking water purposes. The government is mulling to impose restrictions on excess use of river water,” said the official.
Sources said that the state government would seek support from non-government organisations and some international outfits working in this field to create awareness against excessive use of river water.
Notably, the state government has initiated process to revitalise water flow in some of the distributaries of Mahanadi including Kathajodi, Kuakhai, Daya, Bhargabi and Kushabhadra to ensure adequate drinking water to cities like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri and Khurda.
The government has launched a survey to construct a few barrages on these rivers, sources said.