Loading…
Union Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil chaired a meeting with the Chief Ministers of Chhattisgarh (Vishnu Deo Sai) and Odisha (Mohan Charan Majhi) to pursue an amicable settlement of the Mahanadi Water Dispute, alongside CWC officials.
The Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) was constituted 12 March 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, following Odisha's request; an expanded Technical Committee (chaired by the CWC Chairman, with both States' representatives) held its first meeting on 29 July 2026.
The Minister cited recent successes in resolving inter-State water disputes — the Yamuna Water Project Agreement, the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award implementation, and consensus on the Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (MPKC) Link Project — as evidence such disputes can be resolved through cooperative federalism.
Provides for constitution of a Tribunal to adjudicate river water disputes between States, when normal negotiation fails and a State approaches the Centre
Empowers Parliament to adjudicate inter-State river/river-valley disputes and bar courts (including the Supreme Court) from exercising jurisdiction over them if Parliament so provides
Between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry — a Tribunal award later modified by the Supreme Court (2018), the Cauvery Water Management Authority now oversees implementation
Among Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal has issued multiple awards over decades
GS Paper 2 > Polity > Inter-State Water Disputes, Cooperative Federalism
Moderate — inter-State river disputes recur regularly as a polity/federalism topic
Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal — constituted 12 March 2018 under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, to resolve the Odisha-Chhattisgarh Mahanadi dispute