Mahanadi Bachao Andolan stages symbolic protest at Kalma Barrage, seeks urgent water dispute resolution

Jharsuguda : Members of the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan on Thursday visited the Kalma Barrage in neighbouring Chhattisgarh and staged a symbolic protest by attempting to dismantle a sand embankment constructed downstream of the barrage, demanding an urgent resolution to the long-pending Mahanadi water dispute.
Led by the convener of the movement, Sudarsan Das, the agitators began their march at around 10 am from Kanaktora on the Odisha border and proceeded towards the Kalma Barrage at Raigarh (Chhattisgarh). The delegation walked across the length of the barrage to assess the situation on the ground. The activists observed that out of the 66 gates of the barrage, only one gate was open. They expressed serious concern after noticing that even the limited water released through the lone open gate was being obstructed by a sand embankment constructed downstream, effectively preventing water from flowing into Odisha.
After inspecting the barrage, the protesters reached the sand embankment site and made a symbolic attempt to break it. Das said the action was meant to convey a strong message to the Chhattisgarh government, urging it to refrain from blocking the river’s natural flow and to engage in meaningful dialogue for a permanent solution to the inter-state water dispute.
Sudarshan Das said, “At present, we are standing at the Kalma Barrage and witnessing a stark contrast—on the Chhattisgarh side, the river looks like an ocean, while on the Odisha side it appears like a desert. It is extremely disheartening to see this situation. If such actions continue and Chhattisgarh stops the flow of water, what will be the future of Odisha? What will happen to the people living along the banks of the Mahanadi, and what will be the condition of the 15 districts that depend on this river?
Yesterday, we visited Sukhshoda village, and within one month, there will be no water left in that area. I am hopeful that the Odisha government will take up this matter urgently and seek a proper solution.
Today, only one gate of the Kalma Barrage has been opened. Earlier, two gates were open, but now just a single gate is operating. Even after that, a sand embankment has been constructed downstream, which means no water can reach Odisha. This has deeply hurt the people of Odisha.
To protect Odisha’s rightful share of water, we are continuing this struggle. This is an injustice to the river itself. If such actions persist, the river will die, and if the Mahanadi dies, the situation in Odisha will become even worse.
The government is trying to resolve the issue, and we, the members of the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan, are supporting those efforts. However, blocking the river by constructing illegal sand embankments is completely unacceptable. We will attempt to dismantle the sand embankment and will continue to protest against the construction of barrages and sand embankments on the Mahanadi River, as these are illegal.
We believe that a river does not divide states—it connects them. The Mahanadi River is equally important for both states.”
The protest saw participation from social activists and river movement members from both Jharsuguda district in Odisha and parts of Chhattisgarh. Among those present were Rajesh Sharma of Chhattisgarh’s Jan Sangharsh Morcha, Biranchi Sahu of the Jharsuguda Farmers’ Organisation, Gopinath Majhi from the Hirakud submergence area, along with several other activists.
Following the programme, office-bearers of the Mahanadi Bachao Andolan held meetings with noted social worker Jagannath Sharma of Chandrapur and environmentalist Dr Paribesh Mishra of Sarangarh.