New Delhi, Sept 15: The Centre and six northern states on Tuesday signed an agreement to advance the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Project, a major water and hydropower initiative aimed at strengthening water management in the Yamuna basin.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil. Chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana signed the pact.
The project envisages construction of a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam on the Tons River along the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border. The proposed reservoir is expected to have a storage capacity of around 1,562 million cubic metres.
According to the government, the project will provide irrigation to nearly 97,000 hectares of land and generate about 1,476 million units of clean hydropower.Addressing the meeting, Shah described the agreement as a significant example of cooperation between the Centre and states.
He said resolving the project required discussions and consensus among all the participating states because of its long history and complex water-sharing issues.The Union government has accorded the Kishau project the status of a National Project.
Around 90 per cent of its financial requirement will be borne by the Centre, while the remaining 10 per cent will be contributed by the partner states under the existing arrangement.Shah said the project would have particular significance for Delhi because it is expected to contribute additional water to the Yamuna system.
He also linked the project to efforts to maintain the river’s environmental flow, which is important for the ecological health of the Yamuna.
The Home Minister said the agreement was part of broader efforts to resolve inter-state water-related issues through dialogue and cooperation. He cited several water projects and agreements that, according to the government, have moved forward or reached settlements in recent years.
The government also said the project would support agriculture by improving irrigation availability while contributing to renewable electricity generation.
The agreement marks an important step towards implementing a project that has remained under discussion for several decades.
The participating states and the Centre have expressed their commitment to working together for its timely completion.
