3 min readBhubaneswarUpdated: Aug 1, 2026 10:27 AM IST
With the Centre actively coordinating, Odisha and Chhattisgarh have agreed to work towards an ‘amicable solution’ to the decade-old Mahanadi water dispute within the next 3-4 months.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Vishnu Deo Sai attended a meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil in New Delhi Thursday. Majhi said after the meeting that the dispute would be resolved before Diwali.
Officials said that with the BJP in power in both states and at the Centre, the latter has suggested that ‘technical consultations’ continue.
Citing complex inter-state water disputes resolved through dialogue, such as the Yamuna Water Project Agreement, the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award and the Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (MPKC) Link Project, the Centre emphasised consensus-based decision-making to resolve the Mahanadi dispute.
The meeting assumes significance as the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, in its April 20 order, noted that it would proceed on “merits” if the two states failed to finalise a settlement formula.
“Odisha’s position was articulated firmly and unequivocally, placing the rights of our people, the interests of our farmers and the protection of the State’s water resources above all else. We remain committed to securing an amicable, equitable and lasting resolution through constructive dialogue, mutual cooperation and goodwill between both States,” the Odisha CM wrote on X.
“In the meeting, Odisha firmly placed its rights, underlining how the Mahanadi is the lifeline of the state. Authorities from Chhattisgarh have taken our concerns positively, and more such consultations will be held to finalise technical details,” said a senior government officer.
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The Joint Technical Committee has held multiple rounds of discussions in the past and achieved consensus on several technical issues.
The water dispute
Odisha and Chhattisgarh have been locked in a dispute over the Mahanadi since 2016. As the downstream state, Odisha has alleged that Chhattisgarh has “unilaterally constructed” at least eight barrages along the river, affecting its flow into the state during the non-monsoon period. Chhattisgarh, on the other hand, has argued that, given the large catchment area in the state, it is within its rights to use the Mahanadi’s waters.
Although the Centre initiated efforts in 2016 to find an amicable solution through dialogue, the then BJD government pursued the legal route and moved the Supreme Court seeking a tribunal. Chhattisgarh, meanwhile, favoured a Joint Control Board (JCB). Following the Supreme Court’s direction, the Centre constituted the tribunal in March 2018.
After the BJP came to power in Odisha in 2024, ending Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year tenure, the state initiated steps towards a “mutually beneficial settlement” and informed the tribunal accordingly.