Bhubaneswar: 20 July 2026 A high-level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment, Power Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo regarding the situation created due to deficient rainfall in the state. It was attended by Additional Secretary, Power Department Shri Habib Kumar Deb, Secretary, Water Resources Department Mrs. Shubha Sharma and Commissioner and Secretary, Agriculture Department Shri Sachin Ramachandra Jadhav, senior departmental officers. Due to deficient rainfall in the catchment areas of major reservoirs like Balimela and Machhkund, the government is monitoring the situation and has assured the public not to panic.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the water in the reservoirs will first be reserved for drinking water and agricultural purposes. After that, water will be released for power generation. Since the water level is lower this time compared to last year, the Agriculture and Water Resources Department is keeping a close watch on it so that there is no problem in Kharif cultivation. Discussions have also been held with the Union Ministry of Agriculture for this.
Shri Singhdeo clarified that to protect the interests of farmers, electricity generation has been stopped for a few days during Bali Mela. Despite low rainfall, the power supply in the state is normal due to alternative arrangements. Therefore, there is no reason to worry about power or water shortage.
The government has prepared a comprehensive contingency plan to solve this problem. The Agriculture, Power and Water Resources departments are working together to save the crops. Since the hydropower generation is low, the Power Department has made arrangements to bring power from the outside grid through GRIDCO and OHPC, so that people can get uninterrupted power.
Similarly, the Odisha government is in talks with the Andhra Pradesh government to resolve the technical issues of the Machhkund project, so that full power generation can be started from this project soon. The state government is closely monitoring the situation and is committed to proper management of water and power.
