{"id":4014,"date":"2026-10-01T23:40:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/?p=4014"},"modified":"2026-10-01T23:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:10:41","slug":"mahanadi-water-dispute-chhattisgarh-odisha-hold-high-level-talks-cm-sai-calls-for-win-win-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/?p=4014","title":{"rendered":"Mahanadi water dispute: Chhattisgarh, Odisha hold high-level talks; CM Sai calls for win-win solution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New Delhi, Oct 01:<\/strong> Chhattisgarh and Odisha on Thursday took a major step towards reaching an amicable and permanent resolution to the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute during a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah at Kartavya Bhawan in New Delhi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi held detailed discussions on various issues related to the Mahanadi basin and presented the perspectives of their respective states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Union Minister for Jal Shakti CR Patil, Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman, Chief Secretaries of both states, along with senior officials from the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, CWC, and the state governments attended the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the meeting, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai emphasised that the Mahanadi is not merely a source of water, but a vital lifeline intertwined with the civilization, culture, agriculture, and daily lives of people in both states. He stated that the river does not divide Chhattisgarh and Odisha, but binds them together. He stressed that any solution must be reached through cooperation, trust, and consensus rather than competition or confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM Sai stated that the focus must be on crafting a solution that safeguards the interests of both states and their citizens. He highlighted that Chhattisgarh supports a just, fair, scientific, transparent, and long-term resolution designed keeping in mind the interests of farmers, common citizens, and future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointing out that the Mahanadi originates in Chhattisgarh, with a major portion of its catchment area falling within the state, CM Sai noted that agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, and development needs\u2014especially in tribal and rural areas\u2014are intrinsically linked to the river. He asserted that any permanent resolution must adequately address these ground realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clarifying Chhattisgarh’s stance, CM Sai reaffirmed that while defending its own interests, the state deeply respects the needs of Odisha. He acknowledged that the Hirakud dam is Odisha\u2019s lifeline and stated that Chhattisgarh is ready to move forward in a spirit of complete cooperation for the smooth operation and preservation of Hirakud reservoir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He advocated making shared natural resources like water a medium for collective prosperity, suggesting a joint mechanism to transparently share data regarding water availability, requirement, and utilization to ensure scientific decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcoming Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s mediation, CM Sai expressed confidence that positive dialogue under the central government\u2019s guidance would pave the way for mutual consensus. Drawing a parallel with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s historical contribution to national integration, he noted that resolving inter-state disputes through dialogue strengthens cooperative federalism and national unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s leadership, coordinate efforts between the Centre and states have created a favorable environment for addressing complex issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CM Sai reiterated that Chhattisgarh maintains full faith in the technical, impartial, and scientific assessments conducted by the Central Water Commission and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. He called for a comprehensive study encompassing water availability, present and future demand, irrigation, drinking water, environmental needs, and overall regional growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlighting Chhattisgarh’s success in countering Naxalism in Bastar through strong Centre-state coordination, security, and development initiatives, CM Sai expressed confidence that a similar unified vision and political willpower can yield decisive progress on the Mahanadi issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Touching upon the deep-rooted cultural and historical bonds between Chhattisgarh and Odisha, CM Sai mentioned the shared tribal heritage and spiritual links connecting Mahaprabhu Jagannath from Shivrinarayan to Puri. He urged that the Mahanadi should serve as a channel of trust, development, and partnership rather than a line of division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted in 2018 to adjudicate water sharing between the two states. Parallel to the tribunal proceedings, both states are actively engaging in political and technical dialogues to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior officials present from Chhattisgarh included Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Subodh Kumar Singh, Water Resources Department Secretary Rajesh Sukumar Toppo, alongside key central and state dignitaries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New Delhi, Oct 01: Chhattisgarh and Odisha on Thursday took a major step towards reaching an amicable and permanent resolution to the long-standing Mahanadi water dispute during a high-level meeting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chhattisgarh","category-display","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4014"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4016,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4014\/revisions\/4016"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsaxis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}