SAMBALPUR: All the gates of Kalma barrage in Chhattisgarh should be opened and flow of water into Mahandi river should not be restricted till pronouncement of any verdict by the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal, said Mahanadi Bachao Andolan convener Sudarsan Das. Addressing mediapersons here on Thursday after visiting Kalma barrage, Das said the barrage will have an adverse impact on Mahanadi river. All the 67 gates of the barrage have been closed.
The flow of water into Hirakud Dam Reservior (HDR) has been stopped due to closure of all the gates of the barrage. The water level of the HDR is also reducing drastically, he added. If the situation persists, power generation and irrigation under Hirakud Dam Project will be badly affected. Besides, there will be scarcity of drinking water. The Chhattisgarh Government should not operationalise other barrages, constructed on the upstream of HDR, till Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal gives any verdict, he said. They have launched a signature campaign and will submit a memorandum with signatures of one lakh people to the Chief Justice of India over the issue, he said.
Moreover, the State Government should take adequate steps to protect Mahanadi river. They demanded that the State Government should take steps to conserve water of the river, protect the banks of the river from encroachment and also protect the water from getting contaminated, he said.The members of Mahanadi Bachao Andolan held signature campaign at Government ITI, Hirakud, Hirakud College and Burla besides Gangadhar Meher University in Sambalpur city.
The Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, a State-level water conservation outfit, launched awareness drive on Mahanadi waterdispute from Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar on April 10. The outfit started Mahanadi Bacho Yatra from Kalmaon Wednesday and it will conclude at Puri on April 15, demanding opening of gates of Kalma barrage. The Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, a State-level water conservation outfit, launched awareness drive on Mahanadi water dispute from Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar on April 10. The outfit launched Mahanadi Bacho Yatra from Kalma on Wednesday and the Yatra will conclude at Puri on April 15 demanding opening of gates of Kalma barrage.