Chhattisgarh opens 7 gates of Kalma barrage

Bhubaneswar: With the heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi river, as many as seven gates of the Kalma barrage in Chhattisgarh were opened, an official of the Central Water Commission (CWC) said on Tuesday.

It may be recalled here that, protesting the unilateral decision of Chhattisgarh to close gates of Kalma barrage resulting in acute water crisis in downstream areas, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to his counterpart Raman Singh demanding immediate reopening of the gates to ensure free flow of Mahandi water.

Patnaik had also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for opening of gates of Kalma and other barrages to maintain the free flow of water downstream which is the rightful claim of Odisha and its inhabitants.