Xplorich
NEW DELHI: Haryana and Rajasthan on Monday signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to implement the 1994 Upper Yamuna River Board Agreement, paving the way for the long-delayed Yamuna Water Project that has remained pending for nearly 32 years.The agreement was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Union home minister Amit Shah, Union jal shakti minister C R Patil, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.The project, estimated to cost Rs 34,102 crore, is expected to provide long-term drinking water security to water-scarce regions of Rajasthan while also benefiting parts of Haryana through new water infrastructure.The MoA operationalises the 1994 Upper Yamuna River Board Agreement, which governs the sharing and management of Yamuna river waters among basin states.Speaking at the signing ceremony, Rajasthan chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma described the agreement as a milestone for the state and credited the Centre for resolving a dispute that had remained pending for over three decades.He said water security was one of the key pillars of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Bharat and that the Yamuna Water Project represented another major step alongside initiatives such as the Narmada Project, Jal Jeevan Mission, the Ken-Betwa Link Project and the Ram Jal Setu Link Project.Sharma thanked Union home minister Amit Shah for facilitating consensus between Rajasthan and Haryana through sustained dialogue and coordination, which helped resolve the long-pending issue.He also acknowledged Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil for providing technical and administrative support that accelerated the project.According to the agreement, Rajasthan’s allocated share of 577 million cubic metres (MCM) of Yamuna water will be transported from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana to the Hansiyawas Reservoir in Churu district through an underground pipeline network spanning about 295.5 kilometres.The project includes the construction of three underground pipelines, each measuring 3.6 metres in diameter, along with inspection roads, artificial reservoirs and a modern water management system.Officials said the infrastructure has also been designed to provide drinking water to 10 locations in Haryana, making the project beneficial for both states.The Rajasthan government has already prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and uploaded it to the Central Water Commission’s e-PAMS portal, while Haryana has granted in-principle approval for the proposed pipeline alignment.A Special Purpose Vehicle, to be known as the Rajasthan-Haryana Yamuna Water Project SPV (RHYW-SPV), will be established to oversee the implementation, construction, operation and maintenance of the project.Sharma expressed confidence that the project would ensure long-term water security for future generations and provide a major boost to the socio-economic and industrial development of Rajasthan’s water-stressed regions, particularly Shekhawati
