C.R. Patil convenes Odisha Chhattisgarh in Mahanadi water talks
Odisha and Chhattisgarh are finally making some real progress over their long-running Mahanadi River water-sharing dispute.
The issue has been around since 2016, mainly because there's never been a clear agreement on how to split the river's water.
At a key meeting on July 30, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil brought both state leaders together: Odisha's Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi sounded hopeful that things could be sorted out in just three months after talking with Chhattisgarh's Bishnu Deo Sai.
Joint teams share Mahanadi water data
This whole thing kicked off when Odisha filed a complaint in 2016, which led to the creation of the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) in 2018.
Fast forward to April this year: MWDT gave both states space to talk before going legal.
Now, joint technical teams have started sharing reliable data about water levels so everyone is working with the same facts.
Both states say they're committed to keeping up these talks and finding a fair solution for managing the river together, definitely a positive sign for finally ending this standoff.