Amidst the lingering row of illegal barrage construction by the Chhattisgarh Government and its adverse effect on the Mahanadi downstream, the late decision of the Odisha Government to construct seven major barrages on the river and 22 additional weirs on its tributaries and branches has been criticesd by the experts saying this won’t mitigate the water crisis in Odisha.
This was opined by speakers in a seminar on “Surface and Ground Water Resources of Odisha – Status, Policy and Strategy” organised here by the Society of Geoscientists and Allied Technologists (SGAT) and Geological Society of India, Bengaluru on May 20.
The brain storming session was joined by representatives of the Geological Society of India, the Geological Survey of India, the Central Ground Water Board, the Directorate of Geology, Government of Odisha, the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, OUAT, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board, the Odisha Environmental Society and the council members of SGAT.
The experts claimed that a river system needs to discharge certain amount of water into the sea to maintain the ecology of the river and the delta. The flow to the sea prevents the incursion of saline water into river system. Therefore, the claim of Chhattisgarh Government that Odisha is not utilising the large volume of water flowing into the sea cannot be fully justified from technical and ecological considerations.
The decrease in water flow into Hirakud reservoir thereby affecting hydro power generation and substantial reduction in supply water to Bargarh and Sasan canal systems was discussed.
The speakers said that it is bound to adversely affect irrigation in the two fertile belts of the State and raising two crops in a year will not be possible.
Heavy siltation in the Hirakud reservoir over the years has resulted in reduction in reservoir capacity. This is also the situation in all other rivers of the State, lakes and ponds.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to undertake dredging of all water bodies and reservoirs of the State, it was opined.
The speakers also underlined the need for construction of thousands of micro dams on rivers/streams in hilly tracts of the State, setting up plants for desalination of sea water, water harvesting structures and carrying out of massive plantation, particularly along the banks of the rivers.
The participants expressed doubt if the water crisis looming over Odisha can be satisfactorily resolved by tribunals or by judicial intervention because decision by these agencies takes a lot of time by which the crisis would have further aggravated. Water sharing between the neighbouring State and Odisha has to be sorted out by mutual discussion, they said, adding that the Central Government should take proactive step and must not act as a passive observer.
Former Engineer-in Chief, Irrigation, Odisha Dr BP Das, Prof Nachiketa Das, visiting Professor, Hiroshima Kokusai Gakuin University, Japan, Regional Director, CGWB Prof NK Mahallik, Subhransu Mishra of Directorate of Geology and Dr S Das of Geological Society of India presented papers. The session was coordinated by SGAT advisor BK Mohanty, and vice president Girija Mohapatra.