Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has said that there was no need for Odisha to raise dispute over Mahanadi river water sharing after 59 years of the construction of Hirakud dam.
About 86 per cent of water catchment of the river is in Chhattisgarh. The average water flow till Hirakud dam is about 40,773 mcm. The share of Chhattisgarh is 35,308 mcm, he said.
If one observes the flow of water (40,773 mcm) then seven huge dams like Hirakud can be built, he said.
Notably, the Chief Minister had a detailed meeting with the senior officers on crucial points of the Water-sharing agreement on Thursday at his residence here.
In the meeting the officials of State Water Resources Department informed that Hirakud dam was built on Mahanadi river in Orissa in the year 1957. The then undivided Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Arjun Singh and the then Odisha Chief Minister J B Patnaik had inked a pact to constitute a Joint Control Board to thrash out Mahanadi river water sharing issue, but the Board had never been constitute.
The officials added that the birth and source of Mahanadi river is Chhattisgarh but it utilizes only 3.5 per cent and Odisha uses 14 per cent of the river waters.
Both the States use only 17.5 per cent Mahanadi river waters and the rest of the 82 per cent goes waste. Odisha irrigates 54 per cent of its agriculture land with these waters and Chhattisgarh 30 per cent.
The senior officers said that Central Water Commission while clearing the Arpa-Bhainajhar Irrigation Project revealed that there will be enough water to fill up the Hirakud dam three times. Kelo and Maand rivers merge in Mahanadi rivers after Basantpur.
The waters can fill up the Hirakud dam seven times. The barrages built upon Mahanadi river in the State is only to store rain water and there is no diversion. There should be no apprehension regarding the Mahanadi river. During the monsoons there is 96 per cent flow of waters in the Mahanadi and four per cent during the rest of the seasons, officials informed.
In a meeting of Chief Secretaries of Chhattisgarh and Odisha held in New Delhi on July 29, 2016, Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand had agreed for the constitution of Joint Control Board but the Odisha counterpart did not give consent till date.
It was agreed to share details of water sharing between the two states and Chhattisgarh State had shared the details but Odisha State senior officials did not do so.
Notably, the meeting of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be held over sharing of Mahanadi waters in the second week of September.
The Central Government has convened the crucial meeting. The meeting will be presided over by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Kelo irrigation project being implemented in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh on Kelo river –- a tributary of Mahanadi river main basin is targetted to be completed by year 2018, the Central government has informed.
Notably, the project is receiving Central assistance of Rs 40.63 crores.
The Kelo irrigation project is proposed in Raigarh district which is one of the drought prone districts in Chhattisgarh.
The Kelo river also supplies water for drinking use to the urban settlements (Raigarh town) and for industrial requirements.
The Kelo dam site is located near Danot village at 8 km North of Raigarh. The general climate of the command is characterised by hot summer and general dryness with moderate rainfall and very cool winter.
Major crops currently grown in the proposed command are paddy, Kodo, kutki, sugarcane, wheat, pulses, oil seeds, vegetables and miscellaneous crops.
The Kelo irrigation project covers Kharisia,Pussore and Raigarh blocks of Raigarh district and Dabhara block of Janjgir-Champa district.
Notably, the Water Resources projects are planned, funded, executed and maintained by the State Governments themselves as per their own resources and priority. In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, the Union Water Resources Ministry provides financial assistance to State Governments to encourage sustainable development and efficient management of water resources through Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) under Pradhan Manti Krishi Sichayee Yojana (PMKSY), the Central government informed.