NEW DELHI: In a significant breakthrough for interstate water cooperation and river basin management, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan have reached a consensus on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project during a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, officials said.
The meeting marked a major step forward in the implementation of one of the most important water infrastructure projects in northern India, which has remained under discussion for several decades due to issues related to cost-sharing, water allocation and coordination among participating states, they said.
The consensus was achieved after the participating states agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the project. Following the signing of the MoU, the project will be placed before the Union Cabinet for final approval, the officials said.
The Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project is planned on the Tons River, the largest tributary of the Yamuna, along the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The project
has long been viewed as a critical intervention for augmenting water availability in the Yamuna basin, improving drinking water supplies, generating hydroelectric power and regulating river flows.
The officials believe that the project will play a crucial role in enhancing the flow of fresh water into the Yamuna, particularly during lean seasons. Increased environmental flows are expected to contribute significantly to efforts aimed at rejuvenating the river and improving water quality downstream, they added.
One of the key outcomes of the MoU was the agreement on the financial structure of the project. According to the MHA, the water component of the Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project will receive substantial support from the central government, which will bear 90 per cent of the cost as central assistance. The remaining 10 per cent of the expenditure will be shared among the six participating states, it added.
The states also arrived at a mutually acceptable arrangement concerning the power component of the project, as it was agreed that the water allocation originally earmarked for Himachal Pradesh would be supplied to Delhi and Rajasthan in return for their sharing of the cost associated with Himachal Pradesh’s portion of the power component. The agreement is expected to remove one of the major hurdles that had delayed the project’s implementation and pave the way for its early execution.
The development reflects the Centre’s broader approach of consensus-building, as the present government has consistently emphasised cooperative federalism and interstate coordination to address matters of national and public interest, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement.
The meeting witnessed participation from senior leaders and officials from both the Centre and the participating states. Among those present were Union ministers Manohar Lal and CR Patil and chief ministers of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.