The Mahanadi river water dispute tribunal has warned Odisha and Chhattisgarh to conclude the key minutes of an inter-state meeting on water availability by May 2. If no consensus is reached, the tribunal will proceed to hear the references on the case's merits.
The tribunal, chaired by Justice Bela M. Trivedi, pointed out the slow pace of the proceedings and expressed unhappiness with the manner in which the proceedings are being conducted.
The Mahanadi river, originating in Chhattisgarh, flows 857 km before entering Odisha, sustaining irrigation, hydropower, and fisheries across at least 20 of Odisha's 30 districts.
The Centre constituted a negotiation committee in 2016, which submitted its report in May 2017. Upon its failure, the court directed the Centre to constitute a tribunal, which was notified on March 12, 2018, under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
The panel was tasked with quantifying availability, current utilization, and future potential in the basin. In 2023, the panel inspected major reservoirs, including barrages and dams on Mahanadi in both states.
The Centre has now extended the tribunal's tenure by 9 months, pushing its deadline to January 13, 2027.
