Bhubaneswar: The long-running Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh could be headed for a breakthrough, with chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressing confidence that the issue would be resolved by Diwali on Nov 8 following high-level talks in New Delhi on Thursday.After a tripartite meeting chaired by Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil and attended by Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai, Majhi said discussions would continue at multiple levels over the next three months to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution. “I am optimistic. The Chhattisgarh govt also shares this view that the dispute can be resolved by this Diwali. Both states will then celebrate the festival in a big way,” Majhi told media persons in Delhi.Majhi said the meeting focused on Mahanadi water sharing and basin management, with senior officials from both states and the Centre also participating. “Odisha’s water rights, the interests of our farmers and the protection of the state’s water resources were strongly articulated. The talks were held in a constructive and positive atmosphere, with both sides discussing a permanent solution through dialogue,” he added.Majhi said further tripartite meetings involving the Union Jal Shakti ministry and the Central Water Commission (CWC) would be held, alongside officer-level discussions. “The process will continue over the next three months,” he added.Stressing that Odisha had always favoured dialogue, Majhi said Chhattisgarh has now come on board with the same approach. “We were ready for negotiations from the beginning. The Chhattisgarh CM has also agreed to this path. Following that, the Union Jal Shakti ministry convened this meeting. With triple engine BJP govts at the Centre and in both states, we are confident of resolving the issue amicably,” he added.The latest development follows an 11-day marathon round of bilateral talks between Odisha and Chhattisgarh from June 16 to 26, described by officials as the most concerted effort so far to resolve the decades-old water-sharing dispute through negotiations.The discussions centred on key issues such as the water-sharing formula, river water availability, upstream projects, basin management and reconciliation of hydrological data, with both sides attempting to reach a point-by-point consensus.Majhi had on June 12 indicated that he would soon meet Sai in New Delhi to explore the possibility of an amicable settlement after technical and legal teams completed their deliberations.The Centre constituted the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) in March 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, after Odisha approached the Supreme Court in Dec 2016 over Chhattisgarh’s upstream projects. Since coming to power, the BJP govt in Odisha has favoured a negotiated settlement, arguing that prolonged litigation could delay a resolution. In April this year, the Centre extended the tribunal’s tenure by nine months, till Jan 13, 2027.Momentum for dialogue gathered after the tribunal, during hearings on Jan 25, 2025, encouraged both states to explore an out-of-court settlement. Subsequent interactions between the CMs and senior officials reflected a growing willingness to pursue talks alongside the legal process.On July 25, 2025, Majhi wrote to the Chhattisgarh CM proposing the formation of a joint committee under CWC to facilitate sustained engagement. The tribunal later granted additional time for negotiations after both states conveyed their readiness for an amicable resolution.A structured dialogue mechanism was formalised at a meeting of the two states’ chief secretaries in New Delhi on Aug 30, 2025. Odisha subsequently constituted a high-level political committee under deputy CM K V Singh Deo and convened an all-party meeting in Jan this year to consolidate its position ahead of formal negotiations.Officials said the outcome of the ongoing talks could have a significant bearing on the future course of the dispute, which continues to remain before the tribunal even as both states push for a mutually agreed settlement.
