Release of water from storage in summer completely normal, says Chhattisgarh
Raipur , April 28. The Chhattisgarh government said toady that the state releases water from its storages every year during this time for industrial use, Nistari, and Rabi / Summer crops as per requirement.
A senior official of the Chhattisgarh’s Department of Water Resources has said that Chhattisgarh completely abides by the joint protocol agreed upon between the States of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and there has been no violation to it.
It is unfortunate that the normal release of water in the non-monsoon season by Chhattisgarh has been given a political angle to create prejudice before the water tribunal’s second tranche of site visits to Chhattisgarh.
The storage capacity of Odisha Hirakud Reservoir located on the Mahanadi is much more than the storage capacities of all the reservoirs in the Mahanadi basin in Chhattisgarh put together.
Chhattisgarh benefits from its conservation focussed water resource management, where every drop is attempted to be conserved. It has not only focussed on rainwater conservation through its in-stream check dams and barrages, but also embarked upon a large-scale water conservation project through Narwa Garwa Ghurva Badi (NGGB) program of recharging monsoon runoff to the aquifers.
On the contrary, Odisha greatly benefits from Chhattisgarh’s water conservation measures, as the groundwater releases into the streams and tributaries of Mahanadi eventually reach Odisha.
To back its stand, the Chhattisgarh government also presented satellite images. The images taken this year on April 25, 2023 compared with the satellite images on the same dates last year and three years ago show nearly no difference in the Hirakud Reservoir’s upper reaches and the flow regime in the Mahanadi.
