Sambalpur, May 20 (PTI) Members of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal visited Odisha's Sambalpur district on Saturday to study the ground situation.

The tribunal, headed by retired Supreme Court judge AM Khanwilkar, was formed in 2018 to resolve the disputes between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the sharing of Mahanadi's water.

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The members of the tribunal were accompanied by officials of the Water Resources Departments of the two states, technical teams, assessors, and law experts during the visit to the Hirakud dam and other places in Sambalpur.

They took stock of the dam, and conducted a detailed study on water management -- inflow and outflow of water, an official said.

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They also visited the operational gallery (left spillway), Burla powerhouse and mega lift point at Rampela.

On Sunday, they will visit the Chiplima powerhouse of the Hirakud system, the Attabira branch canal, the additional spillway, the Sambalpur distributaries and the Sason canal.

The team will visit the OPGC intake point and IB thermal power station in Jharsuguda district, and the IB dam project in Sundergarh district on Monday. And on Tuesday, it will visit the Saipala dam and the Upper Jonk dam in Nuapara district.

The primary objective of the tribunal is to examine and adjudicate the claims of both states regarding the sharing of water of the Mahanadi river, the official said.

The tribunal will consider various factors such as the availability of water, the existing utilisation patterns, and the requirements of each state, he said.

Earlier this month, the members of the tribunal visited the Kalma barrage and Kelo project in Chhattisgarh.

Odisha alleges that Mahanadi has been choked by Chhattisgarh as it constructed several barrages in its upper catchment area. It also alleges that Chhattisgarh releases excess water during monsoon, causing floods in the downstream.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)