Center constitutes negotiation committee to resolve Mahanadi issue

Bhubaneswar: The Union Ministry of Water Resources has constituted a negotiation committee to assess availability and utilization of waters of Mahanadi and its tributaries.

The committee will also examine existing water sharing agreements on river Mahanadi. It will also consider claims of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand regarding availability and utilization of waters of these rivers.

The committee has been set up with reference to a complaint of Odisha under section 3 of the ISRWD Act, 1956 regarding utilization of waters of Mahanadi Basin.

The committee will be chaired by Member (WP&P), Central Water Commission and will have 11 other members comprising representatives from Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Union Ministries of Agriculture, Environment Forest and Climate Change, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, India Meteorological Department and Central Water Commission.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within three months.