UP CM Yogi Adityanath welcomed the MoU for the Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project, calling it a landmark for water security and cooperative federalism. The MoU was signed by six states and is expected to boost irrigation and rejuvenate the Yamuna River.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the ‘Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project’, describing it as a landmark milestone toward water security and a powerful manifestation of cooperative federalism. The MoU was signed in New Delhi among six riparian states—Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana—under the chairmanship of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, in the presence of Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Paatil.
CM Hails PM’s Leadership and Cooperative Federalism
Taking to social media platform X, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath credited the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for turning the long-pending resolution into reality. “Under the illustrious leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, a significant resolve has been realized today towards the proper utilisation of water resources and ensuring water security for future generations,” CM Yogi posted on X.
Highlighting the collaborative effort among the states, the Chief Minister said, “Under the chairmanship of the Hon’ble Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah ji and the dignified presence of the Hon’ble Union Minister Shri C.R. Paatil ji, the signing of the MoU today in New Delhi related to the ‘Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project’ among Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana is a powerful expression of the spirit of ‘Solution through Cooperation’ and cooperative federalism.”
Benefits for Uttar Pradesh
Outlining the tangible benefits the project will bring to Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath emphasised that it will bolster irrigation capabilities, empower farmers, and help restore the flow of the river Yamuna. “With the realisation of the project, the expansion of irrigation facilities in Uttar Pradesh will empower the farmers, strengthen the availability of drinking water, and infuse new vitality into the uninterrupted and pristine flow of the Yamuna,” he said.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the joint initiative would accelerate growth and contribute to the national vision of development. “It is with full confidence that this shared resolve of the states will open new doors to water security and agricultural prosperity, thereby providing fresh momentum to the creation of ‘Viksit Uttar Pradesh-Viksit India’,” he added.
Kishau Project: An Overview
The Kishau multipurpose project is proposed on the River Tons, a major tributary of the Yamuna River in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district and Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmaur district. The project envisages the construction of a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam with a live storage capacity of 1,562 million cubic metres (MCM). It also envisages irrigation benefits to approximately 0.97 lakh hectares of agricultural area with an annual energy generation of approximately 1,476 million units.
The stored water will also contribute to the rejuvenation of the Yamuna and to meeting drinking and industrial water requirements, particularly in Rajasthan and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, thereby strengthening water security in the region.
The project shall be implemented by Kishau Corporation Limited, a joint venture of the Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments.
A Long-Pending Resolution
The Upper Yamuna basin states had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on May 12, 1994 for the sharing of the utilisable surface water of the Yamuna up to Okhla Barrage. The MoU recognised the need for the creation of storage projects in the Upper Yamuna Basin to maximise utilisation of the surface flows of the river Yamuna.
As provided under Para 7(iii) of the 1994 MoU, separate agreements were to be executed for each identified storage project within the overall framework of the water allocation agreed upon by the basin states. The MoA was signed nearly three months after a similar meeting was organised on June 16 in the MHA under the chairmanship of the Union Home Minister, and a consensus was then reached among the concerned states on the long-pending Kishau multipurpose dam project for the rejuvenation of the Yamuna River. (ANI)
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