Orissa

Two states and a river: More power or more water?
The latest addition to India’s interstate river water conflicts, the Mahanadi will soon go water deficit if Odisha and Chhattisgarh don’t control their hunger for coal-fired power. Posted on 25 Nov, 2018 12:26 PM

A new study, Mahanadi: Coal Rich, Water-Stressed sheds light on how both Odisha and Chhattisgarh have locked horns over the distribution of waters of the Mahanadi river. The 851-km-long river originates in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh, flows through the state and then Odisha before joining the Bay of Bengal at Odisha’s coast.

The Hirakud dam (Image: Makarand Purohit, India Water Portal)
The Mahanadi tussle: Why Chhattisgarh and Odisha spar
A video provides an overview of the water conflict between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi. Posted on 08 Aug, 2018 05:08 PM

The interstate dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Mahanadi's water is an ongoing one and it looks like both the state governments have no interest in finding a long-term solution.

The Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi (Source: India Water Portal)
Dam spells doom for villagers
Baldiha dam that once quenched the thirst of farmlands and provided livelihood to Odisha farmers is now bereft of water, thanks to the apathy of the administration. Posted on 05 Jan, 2018 11:43 AM

Located at Shamakhunta block of Mayurbhanj district, around 28 kilometers from Baripada town in Odisha, Baldiha dam was constructed during the rule of Maharaja Shri Ramchandra Bhanjdeo in 1912.

Water flows into the dam. (Photo courtesy: Gurvinder Singh)
The fight for the doomed land
Here's a video that tells the story of the struggle of the people displaced by the Hirakud dam and their right over the land. Posted on 04 Oct, 2017 05:36 AM

On January 13, 1957, the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the Hirakud dam, calling it the temple of modern India. It has submerged more than 360 villages (1,23,000 acres of land) and displaced 26,561 families.

Hirakud Dam (Source: India Water Portal)
People of two states join hands to save the Mahanadi
The issue at stake in the Mahanadi basin is not one of Chhattisgarh vs Odisha, but one of agriculture vs industry. Posted on 07 Sep, 2016 04:29 PM

The Mahanadi is the lifeline of the people of both Chhattisgarh and Odisha, as it the most important water source for the farmers and other citizens of both these states to meet their domestic and livelihood needs.

Panel Discussion on the inter-state water dispute between Chhattisgarh and Odisha
Kashmir under danger of floods
News this week Posted on 31 Mar, 2015 12:30 AM

Fear of floods looms over Kashmir again

Landslide and a flooded river
Doomed by displacement
The Hirakud dam in Odisha was supposed to control flooding and bring people water and power. Instead, it has taken away their livelihoods and only brought them hardship and misery. Posted on 11 Jun, 2014 09:07 PM

The Hirakud Dam project is the oldest of its kind in India. The dam was built across the Mahanadi river about 15 kms upstream of Sambalpur in the state of Odisha. It is the first major multipurpose river valley project in post-independent India and also one of its longest.

Hirakud, India's oldest dam
Himachal prone to Uttarakhand-like flash floods
News this week Posted on 02 Jun, 2014 04:24 PM

Scientists say Himachal prone to Uttarakhand-like flash floods

Glacier lake in HP (Source: Ankit Solanki)
Floods in Orissa: No lessons learnt – An article in EPW
This article on floods in Orissa shows how no lessons have been learnt yet. Posted on 06 Jan, 2012 02:26 PM

This article by Kishore C Samal in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) discusses how in the natural disater prone state of Orissa the authorities have not been able to draw up an effective disaster management plan and politicians continue to play politics with relief works. It argues that for dealing with these disasters and the relief and rehabilitation work that follows what is needed is the participation of the local community and functionaries of panchayati raj institutions, and coordination with national and international bodies.

Big dams and protests in India: A study of Hirakud dam – An article in EPW
This article by Arun Kumar Nayak in the Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) examines the movement against the construction of the Hirakud dam in Orissa. Posted on 06 Jan, 2012 12:29 PM

It is evident that the domestic resistance to the project was variously compromised by nationalist rhetoric, imperatives of state development and absence of transnational support. The Hirakud dam project has failed on all of its objectives – flood management, hydropower production, irrigation and navigation. Its socio-economic impact has been devastating.

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