CM Meet fails, but we are hopeful for future! #MahanadiPeaceInitiative Update: 17th September 2016 - Ranjan Panda

#MahanadiPeaceInitiative Update: 17th September 2016

Dear Friends/Co-sailors,

Greetings from Mahanadi River Waterkeeper!

Today, the Odisha and Chhattisgarh Chief Ministers had a two and half hour long meeting with facilitation of the Central Water Resources Minister.  We can call the meeting a failure as both of them could not agree on most of the points of discussion.

With the ongoing bitterness in the war waged by both of them, we can understand that a trust deficit has descended.  However, we are hopeful that the discussion will continue.  We have hope that the CMs will accede to our urges and continue the dialogue in a more cohesive, logical, scientific and transparent manner.

  

Amid this gloomy scenario of today however, we realized one good thing from the Odisha CM's media statements (at least from his 'words') that he has considered some of our suggestions emailed to him on 14th September 2016. In fact, these suggestions we had already given to him on 1st July when our first email on this Initiative was sent to the CM.  

We had asked both the riparian states to constitute joint independent expert group to study the basin status/stress from the day one.  Then, we have also been asking the governments to chalk out a joint and strong action plan to protect all ecological hot spots in the basin such as Debrigarh, Huma, Satkosia, Gahirmatha, Chilika etc.  Today, from the Odisha CM's media statements it seems the Odisha govt. has put up these proposals in the meeting.  That's welcome news. 

We are yet to know about other proposals.  Will update you as and when the details come in.  

Not surprisingly the Chhattisgarh CM, after the meeting today, made a very illogical and immature statement.  He advised Odisha to tap the 57% water that is getting wasted to the sea.  He should understand that there is nothing called a 'waste flow' in a river and the basin's ecological balance will be further severely disturbed if all the water that flows to the Bay of Bengal is obstructed.  In fact, we have already written to both the CMs to refrain from planning any more large dam on the Mahanadi because dams kill rivers and fuel disasters such as floods, cyclones and sea/saline water ingress.  

We want a free flowing healthy Mahanadi!

We just wish good sense will prevail in the governments and these important aspects will be discussed in future dialogues.

Twitter Storm:

As informed to you this morning, coinciding with the CMs meeting today, we have uploaded 32 tweets with titleCMsSAVEMahanadi to our twitter handles @ranjanpanda and @MahanadiRiver. These tweets have been addressed to both Odisha and Chhattisgarh CMs as they start discussing the Mahanadi inter-state river water dispute today.

If you are on twitter, we request you to please follow both out twitter accounts as mentioned above and please like & retweet the above 32 tweets to the following people by tagging them:

@CMO_Odisha @Naveen_Odisha @drramansingh @umasribharti

If space permits, use either of the following hastags:

#MahanadiPeaceInitiative
Or
#MahanadiPeace

Thanks! A dying Mahanadi needs your support!!

Thanks and best regards,

Ranjan

For Mahanadi Peace Initiative

Mob: +91 - 94370 50103

Alt Email: waterinodisha@gmail.com 

Skype: ranjan.climatecrusader

Tweet @ranjanpanda

Tweet @MahanadiRiver

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Ranjan Panda, popularly known as the ‘Water Man of Odisha’ has been championing the cause of water conservation and management for more than 25 Years now. He has been designated in 2013 as ‘Mahanadi River Waterkeeper’ by New York based global Waterkeeper Alliance for his constant endeavours towards conservation of river Mahanadi. He also convenes the Water Initiatives Odisha (WIO), the leading network of organisations and individuals working for more than two decades in the state of Odisha on water, environment and climate change.

Mahanadi River Waterkeeper organisation works to conserve Mahanadi River’s ecosystem so that all communities and other species dependent on it have access to clean water for today and forever in a sustainable manner. It is based at the Water Initiatives Odisha.Mahanadi River Waterkeeper is member of the global Waterkeeper Alliance based out of New York!

“Mahanadi River Basin Peace Building Initiative” has been started on 21st July 2016 between ‘Mahanadi River Waterkeeper’  and ‘Nadi Ghati Morcha (Raipur)’ to initiate a citizen driven initiative to resolve Inter-State Water Conflict over Mahanadi.