Bhubaneswar: A comprehensive plan has been drawn up to ensure that the Mahanadi River retains water throughout the year, said Chandra Sekhar Padhi, Engineer-in-Chief, Water Resources Department, while speaking at the Earth Again Conference organised by Sambad, which began on Monday in Bhubaneswar.

The session on second day of three-day event also featured Additional Secretary of the Water Resources Department Rashmi Ranjan Nayak. Both senior officials highlighted the Centre’s initiative ‘Per Drop More Crop ’, which aims to promote micro-irrigation and encourage farmers to use water efficiently — a responsibility largely entrusted to the Water Resources Department.

Elaborating on the department’s efforts, Padhi said,

“The Sukapaika river, a distributary of the Mahanadi that had completely dried up, has now been revived. Water has started flowing again, benefiting nearby regions.”

He further added that similar efforts are being made for the Prachi River, an ancient river with immense cultural significance, which is gradually drying up.

“A detailed plan worth around ₹300 crore has been prepared for the rejuvenation of the Prachi River. Similarly, we are also working on restoring other degraded rivers such as the Gobari,” Padhi said.

He emphasized that government initiatives alone cannot succeed without public participation.

“Planning and implementation are not enough; people’s involvement is crucial for sustainable water management,” he stressed.

Speaking about the future of Mahanadi, Padhi revealed that a comprehensive inter-river linkage project involving seven reservoirs has been planned to maintain continuous water flow.

“These reservoirs will hold water up to a height of about 10 metres and will stretch across a distance of 10 to 15 kilometres,” he informed.

The initiative, he said, is aimed at ensuring that the Mahanadi — Odisha’s lifeline — remains vibrant and ever-flowing, supporting both agriculture and ecological balance across the region.