Activist Ranjan Panda from the Mahanadi River Waterkeeper has expressed happiness over the willingness of the Centre to form a tribunal to resolve the dispute between the two riparian States of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and at the same time, has urged the stakeholders to keep raising various issues which may skip the attention of the tribunal.
He said that the Mahanadi tribunal will most likely work on old data unless new cumulative ecological impact assessment is brought to its appraisal. Hence, there is need for an independent expert committee for understanding ecological degradation before the tribunal.
Mahanadi coal belt issues need to be discussed in tribunal or else the conflicts wouldn’t be resolved. Decentralised irrigation and TWHS (Traditional Water Harvesting Systems), no to big dams and river linking plan are also important, Panda said.
Mahanadi is highly polluted due to coal mines, coal fired power plants and other industries. Hence, a joint plan to regulate industrialisation and fix accountability is the need of the hour, he stated.
Besides, Panda insisted on discussion on fly ash management policy, proper use of DMF and CAMPA funds for forest regeneration in the Mahanadi basin, recognising community forest rights under FRA, stopping diversion of forests for mining and industries and diversion of irrigation water to industries, increase agro-ecological organic farming, joint strategy to mitigate drought and flood, recognizing rights of farmers, fishermen and indigenous communities, a check on increasing urbanisation in Mahanadi basin and adequate attention to mitigate pollution.