Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has directed the immediate suspension of hydropower generation from any reservoir where water levels fall below the critical threshold required for drinking water supply and agricultural irrigation.
In an official communication issued by the Department of Water Resources on Tuesday, Additional Secretary Narahari Sethy, conveyed the directive to the Engineer-in-Chief, Water Resources.
The decision follows a high-level review meeting held on July 20, 2026, chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister, during which the Chief Minister closely evaluated the state’s water security.
The government has made it clear that reserving adequate water to meet the essential needs of drinking water supply and agricultural irrigation remains the absolute priority. Accordingly, if water levels in any reservoir drop below the required threshold to secure these needs, power generation must be stopped immediately.
The directive has been issued in view of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon and the resulting lower water storage levels in reservoirs compared to previous years.
Officials have been instructed to continuously monitor all power-generating reservoirs across Odisha on a 24-hour basis and maintain rigorous daily logs of live storage levels, inflows, and prospective depletion rates.
Further, if water levels fall below the critical baseline needed for irrigation and drinking purposes, power generation is to be completely suspended without waiting for any additional clearances. The order prioritizes water security over power generation amid concerns over declining reservoir storage.
