Despair looms large over riverside villages of the coastal district of Kendrapara after Chhattisgarh Government built several barrages to block flow of water in Mahanadi river. Concern is writ large on the faces of a large number of farmers and fishermen as the water level in Mahanadi at the tail end of the district is depleting fast. As per reports, more than 30,000 fishermen of the district depend on Mahanadi for their livelihood. Water level in Mahanadi is depleting with each passing year. Reduction in inflow of water to Mahanadi will have a serious bearing on farmers and fishermen. Water of the river should be properly used by both the States for the benefit of people, said Gagana Nayak, a fisherman of the riverside village of Kusunapur. Kusunapur is one of the tail-end villages near Mahanadi. The river enters the sea at Paradip, about 10 km from Kusunapur. Echoing similar sentiments, Maheswar Behera said, We have been fishing in the river for generations. We will not allow anybody to dry up the river by blocking the water flow. Dhirendra Kar (24), a villager of Kusunapur, said, Chhattisgarh Government has built many barrages on the river. Odisha should also follow suit and construct more barrages to store water for the whole year. If we don’t not get sufficient water, our fertile land will turn barren, thereby crippling out livelihood. We need Mahanadi water for 12 months in a year for which the State Government should construct more barrages on Odisha side. As both the States have rights on the river, Chhattisgarh should equally share its water with us, said Bibhuti Bhusan Nayak (56), a farmer of Kusunapur. Another farmer Bikram Nayak said the water dispute between Chhattisgarh and Odisha is unfortunate. We hope the Supreme Court will solve this issue at the earliest, he said.