Bhubaneswar, Feb. 5 -- Odisha and Chhattisgarh have expressed their willingness to resolve the long-standing Mahanadi river water dispute through mutual consent. This was stated by Union Minister for Water Resources (Jal Shakti) Raj Bhushan Choudhary on Thursday.

The Union Minister said this in his written reply in the Parliament to a question raised by Odisha MP Pradeep Purohit regarding the Mahanadi Tribunal.

Minister Choudhary informed that both the states have conveyed before the tribunal their agreement to pursue an amicable solution. Discussions are being held at multiple levels to arrive at a mutually acceptable settlement of the dispute.

So far, the Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal (MWDT) has conducted at least 49 hearings and ...