6 states sign agreement on long-pending project
New Delhi, Sept 15: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday described the signing of the Kishau Multipurpose Project agreement by six states as a reflection of the “Team India” spirit, saying consensus among the states had demonstrated that long-pending water issues could be resolved through dialogue and cooperation.
In the presence of Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil, the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana signed the agreement, clearing the way for the implementation of the decades-old project.
Shah said the agreement was a “historic” development and expressed confidence that the project would become an important chapter in the country’s history once completed.
“The most important aspect is that all six states have given their consent and signed the agreement,” Shah said, congratulating the Chief Ministers and Patil for bringing the project to this stage.
He said the agreement exemplified Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guiding principle of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas” and the broader spirit of Team India.
Shah said the Government of India and the six states of the Yamuna basin were committed to completing the project at the earliest.
The Kishau project will involve construction of a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam on the Tons River, which flows along the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border. It will have a storage capacity of 1,562 million cubic metres, irrigate 97,000 hectares and generate 1,476 million units of clean hydropower.
The Centre has declared the project a National Project and will bear around 90 per cent of its financial burden, while the remaining 10 per cent will be borne by the participating states in accordance with the 1994 agreement.
Shah said Uttarakhand had certain concerns regarding its financial burden and assured that the Centre would make efforts to accommodate its demands under Central schemes and assist the state in meeting the financial burden that may fall on it.
He said the agreement was the latest in a series of water-related disputes resolved since 2018 under the Modi Government.
According to Shah, it was the 10th water dispute to be resolved since Modi became Prime Minister, following agreements and decisions involving projects including Lakhwar, Shahpur Kandi, Renukaji and Ken-Betwa, besides other inter-state water issues.
He said the foundation for resolving such disputes had been laid through meetings of the Zonal Councils, while the Ministry of Jal Shakti had worked to take the agreements forward.
Shah said a May 12, 1994 agreement had provided for separate agreements for each storage project in the Yamuna basin. The Kishau project subsequently moved forward after disputes concerning the Lakhwar and Renukaji projects were resolved.
A formal agreement on Kishau was reached on June 16 this year, following which the Ministry of Jal Shakti worked with the states to address technical and economic issues and safeguard their interests before securing their final consent.
Shah said Delhi would be the biggest beneficiary of the project and highlighted its significance for the Yamuna’s environmental flow.
He said the original allocation of Yamuna waters had failed to adequately account for the river’s environmental flow, with the available water distributed among the states.
Under the Kishau agreement, 25 per cent of the water will become available, which Shah said would benefit Delhi as well as contribute to the conservation of the Yamuna.
Linking the agreement with the Centre’s efforts to clean the river, Shah expressed confidence that the goal of a clean Yamuna could be achieved by 2029.
He said cleaning the Yamuna was also essential for achieving the goal of a clean Ganga, as the two rivers meet at Prayagraj.
Shah said the cooperation shown by the six states in reaching the agreement should continue during its implementation, enabling the project to provide water for drinking, agriculture, industrial use and development, besides contributing to environmental conservation.
The Union Home Secretary, Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and Chief Secretaries of the participating states were also present.
