Bhubaneswar, 20 July (H.S.) : Following a high-level review meeting chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, alongside ACS, Energy Shri Vishal Kumar Dev, Principal Secretary, Water Resources, Smt. Subha Sarma, and Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Agriculture & Farmers' Empowerment Shri Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, the State Government has reassured citizens that robust, proactive measures are underway to tackle the low rainfall situation in the catchment areas of major reservoirs, including Balimela and Machkund.

Deputy Chief Minister Shri Singh Deo advised that to safely navigate the low rainfall period, strict guidelines have been enforced to maintain optimum reservoir storage levels. This ensures a critical reserve is aggressively conserved exclusively for drinking water and agricultural stability before allocating any water for power generation.

In light of the weak monsoon and lower water levels compared to last year, the Water Resources and Agriculture Departments are closely monitoring the reservoirs. Water preservation is being heavily prioritized to ensure the Kharif farming cycle remains unhindered. High-level discussions have also been initiated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, to ensure seamless coordination and support.

Deputy Chief Minister Shri Singh Deo stated that the temporary halt in power generation at Balimela is an act of responsible governance to safeguard the agricultural sector. While nature has presented a dry spell in the catchment areas, the state's power grid remains perfectly stable through strategic alternative procurement. He affirmed, We stand firmly with our farmers, and citizens need not panic about power or water shortages.

To counter any impending challenges, a comprehensive State Contingency Plan has been activated. The Agriculture, Energy, and Water Resources departments are spearheading localized strategies to protect standing crops. To mitigate any power deficit caused by the reduction in hydro-generation, the Energy Department, along with GRIDCO and OHPC, has established a robust alternative power procurement framework. Through active collaboration with the State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC), Regional Load Despatch Centre (RLDC), and National Load Despatch Centre (NLDC), the state is securing power from external grids to guarantee that the public faces no disruption in daily power supply.

Addressing the technical issues at the Machkund project, the State Government has initiated high-level diplomatic channels with the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Fast-tracked bilateral talks are underway for the early restoration and modernization of the Machkund units to ensure the project safely resumes its optimal generation capacity swiftly.

The Government of Odisha remains fully vigilant, adaptive, and committed to managing the state's water and energy resources with maximum efficiency.

Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda