Suresh Pujari says dialogue can address the long-running water-sharing dispute; Odisha and Chhattisgarh CMs set to meet Amit Shah in Delhi
GTNS | BHUBANESWAR | OCTOBER 1, 2026
The long-running Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh has entered another round of high-level discussions, with a meeting in New Delhi bringing the two state governments together in an effort to explore a negotiated way forward.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to chair the meeting on Thursday, with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expected to participate. Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil is also part of the discussions.
Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari has said that the state government remains committed to resolving the dispute through dialogue. He argued that discussions between the two states could help produce a settlement that protects the interests of people dependent on the Mahanadi, particularly farmers.
Pujari has also criticised the previous BJD government over its handling of the dispute. He has alleged that the earlier administration did not pursue the issue through all available forums with sufficient urgency and pointed to upstream barrages constructed in Chhattisgarh during the previous government’s tenure. These are political allegations made by the minister and have been disputed by BJD leaders in earlier exchanges.
The present Odisha government has been pursuing both the legal and dialogue routes. A technical committee involving officials from Odisha and Chhattisgarh has been examining issues including water availability, upstream projects, basin management, proposed utilisation and the reconciliation of hydrological data.
The dispute has a long legal history. The Centre constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal in 2018 after Odisha approached the Supreme Court over projects constructed upstream in Chhattisgarh. The tribunal’s tenure has subsequently been extended and the matter remains under adjudication.
The latest talks come at a significant point because both states have indicated an interest in exploring an amicable settlement alongside the tribunal proceedings. A further technical committee meeting is scheduled for October 13, while the tribunal is expected to take up the matter again on October 15.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has also said the dispute is moving towards a possible resolution, citing the present political and administrative environment between the two states and the Centre. That remains a political assessment, with the outcome of the negotiations yet to be determined.
For Odisha, the central issue remains the management and sharing of Mahanadi waters and the protection of the interests of communities dependent on the river. The Delhi meeting is expected to focus on whether the two states can narrow their differences through political and technical negotiations.
Any settlement would still have to address the substantive questions before the tribunal and the competing positions of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.