The third stakeholder workshop for the Mahanadi river basin took place on July 23rd.
The workshop included a technical presentation on the modeling results for the Mahanadi Basin and a serious game.
The activities highlighted the basin’s precipitation and temperature under a changing climate, and their impact on streamflow, under two climate change scenarios (SSP1 and SSP5), and considering 7 global climate models. Projections show a highly volatile yet growing trend in streamflow around the basin, although impacts are asymmetric around the dry and wet seasons. Data uncertainty was recognized as a key challenge, particularly regarding water availability and water allocations, main focus of the workshop.
Through the serious game, stakeholders decided on alternative water allocations towards different sectors (domestic, agriculture, industry, environment) under the two climate change scenarios considered.
Results provided the necessary inputs to run simulations considering both the impact of climate change on water availability and decision makers responses in terms of water allocation.
The exercise also showed the distinct priorities across the two states in the basin, Chhattisgarh (upstream) and Odisha (downstream), and the key tradeoffs (food security, economic output, environmental performance) and vulnerabilities.
Governance discussions further emphasized the importance of inter-basin cooperation, clear regulations on water extraction, and coordinated policy development.