Now everywhere, there is clamour for gross domestic product (GDP) and the rivers are considered to be contributing to the GDP. When China capriciously uses Brahmaputra water for its own benefit, ignoring the rights of India, a similar case is happening in case of Mahanadi. The Government of Chhattisgarh is arbitrarily claiming the right over the Mahanadi ignoring the rights of Odisha.
Nature does not recognize a boundary or political limits between Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The portion of river system of Mahanadi coming within the Chhattisgarh is dammed at various stages and the whole river stream is arrested to provide water to various industrial projects of the State ignoring the fate of rest part of Mahanadi flowing within the State of Odisha. The argument of Chief Minister Raman Singh is that excess water, which is flowing down to the Indian Ocean through this principal river of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, must be used for industrial as well as for agricultural purposes of Chhattisgarh. From where does the Government of Chhattisgarh know that the wastage water of Mahanadi needs to be arrested and need not be allowed to flow free down to oceanIJ
No evil is so great as the abuse of understanding. The whole thinking of the Chhattisgarh Government on this event is "abuse of understanding.” It shows that the authorities of Chhattisgarh have no idea about the ecological values of a river like Mahanadi. It is the duty of a State Government and Union to know details of its water resources.
It is unfortunate that the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh recently expressed that there is no dispute on water resources between Odisha and Chhattisgarh in respect of Mahanadi river. The geo-political and geo-ecological status of a river is always considered from its wetland areas it covers. The wetland areas of river start from its tributaries or from its groups which generally cover the principal catchment areas. Similarly, the whole complex of wetland constitutes the entire inlet and outlet areas of such river. The outlet areas of a river are known from its branches, sub branches and tertiary branches etc. which they cover throughout the course of the principal river.
The whole eco-hydraulic systems of a river are always governed by the whole river system of the same river.
The whole ecological system of Mahanadi is not known to most of the politicians who are arguing in support of capricious uses of Mahanadi water by Chhattisgarh domain.
The ecological process of nature in respect of Mahanadi is composed of several ecological systems, which survive only because of adequacy of soil, water sunlight and biotic activities. Right from catchment areas to the end of the river and its branches, we notice several ecological systems which are formed due to influence and action of wetlands formed by the river. Out of total wetlands formed by the Mahanadi, Odisha accounts for a major share.
If the total or major water source of the Mahanadi is tapped for industrial purposes by Chhattisgarh, the wetland based ecology of Mahanadi will be under grave threat.
The wetland ecology of the Mahanadi can be broadly classified into (a) hill region (b) river valley region, and (c) river plains, where more than 80 per cent of population exists.
Rich ecological lives are found in the river including its branches and sub-branches before it meets the ocean.
A separate ecological climate is formed right from starting of Mahanadi from the Eastern Ghat Region in Chhattisgarh up to the river mouth with its branches and sub-branches. The most rich biodiversities of plants and animals are seen in estuarine areas and in the reverine areas of the globe.
The ecology based economy always rules these areas. This economy cannot remain healthy if the quality of wetland and marshes cannot be sustainably maintained.
The sick geopolitical activities of the Chhattisgarh Government should not harm the interests of crores of people of the coastal plains. Chhattisgarh is a close neighbour of Odisha.
The economy of Chhattisgarh always depends on Odisha, including its culture. The example is the Bargarh Dhanu Yatra. Thousands of people from Chhattisgarh and from Madhy Pradesh come and join in the festive occasions.
CM Raman Singh should be invited to the Dhanu Yatra to know how the people of the two States are culturally and economically linked. The writer served in the region for a considerable period in the State Forest Department and knows the magnanimity of the people of the Mahanadi basin. The narrow political whim and caprices of Chhatisgarh Government for monopolizing the river systems of Mahanadi should not bring a permanent conflict between the people of both the States.
The nature builds its own infrastructure for mitigation of disasters in coastal zones. The coastal zone all over the globe is disaster prone from oceaning direction. The special types of vegetations, which are known as mangroves, always grow in the marine silt deposits which have special and unique adaptations to resist the action of tides. These forests are known also as tidal forests.
These tidal forests provide protections against cyclone, tsunami and hurricanes etc. The silt creations and depositions along the estuarine belt is a continuous process through the action of the rivers and rivulets. If the normal function of the river, like Mahanadi, is stopped due to injudicious thinking of a handful of politicians, the whole eco-regime of the river from catchment areas to river mouth will be endangered.
There will be severe erosion of soil along the river banks and tidal zones of the sea coast.
(The writer is a former Forest officer and environmentalist)