Locals oppose plan to draw water from Haunsua river for Posco

With the Orissa government mulling supply of water to Posco's proposed mega steel mill near Paradip from an alternative place, local people and some outfits demanded a fresh public hearing.

Faced with stiff opposition from farmers and different political parties, the state government had asked Posco to consider a proposal of drawing water from Hansua river instead of getting it from Jobra barrage near Cuttack.

Farmers under the banner of Nab Nirman Krushak Sangathan also held a meeting near Paradip to unitedly oppose the state government's move to allow Posco to draw water from Hansua river.

Though Hansua was basically a drainage channel whose catchment area was spread over 278 square miles in both Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.

"Majority of farmers in Jagatsinghpur district meet their water requirement from Hansua. Farmers often use pump sets to lift water from Hansua," Zilla Parishad president Sarada Jena said.

Water resources secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, however, said the state government had asked Posco to consider a proposal of lifting water from Hansua river after building a barrage on it.

"Posco will be allowed to preserve water of Hansua river and use it," he said.

While Posco was yet to respond to the state government's proposal, the South Korean company had earlier rejected idea of drawing water from certain rivers in Jagatsinghpur on the plea that most of the water sources in the district was saline.

"We urge upon the government to conduct a fresh Environment Impact Assessment study for the projects impacts on the ecology," Water Initiative of Orissa (WIO) said.

"In the MoU signed between the company and the state government, water is a separate sub-project and hence any change in the water use would need a fresh EIA and environmental clearance after due public hearing at both places from where the government plans to give water to POSCO," WIO's convenor Ranjan Panda said.