A 30-year deadlock ends as Rajasthan and Haryana seal a landmark Yamuna water pact.
Rajasthan and Haryana on Monday signed the long-awaited Yamuna Water Agreement in New Delhi, ending a three-decade deadlock and clearing the way for a Rs 34,102 crore water infrastructure project that is expected to transform water availability in Rajasthan’s parched regions.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and senior officials from the Centre and both state governments.
Calling the agreement historic, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said water security was central to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. He said the accord reflected a new governance culture focused on water conservation, resource management and inter-state cooperation.
“Water is not merely a natural resource, but the foundation of life, development and the prosperity of future generations,” Sharma said, adding that this belief had driven the effort to resolve the long-pending dispute.
The Chief Minister thanked Amit Shah for facilitating dialogue between Rajasthan and Haryana, describing him as a “bridge of trust, dialogue and coordination”. He said Shah’s personal intervention and continuous efforts were instrumental in resolving the issue. Sharma also thanked C R Patil for ensuring the technical and administrative clearances required for the project.
Under the agreement, Rajasthan’s allocated share of 577 million cubic metres of Yamuna water will be transported from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana to the Hansiawas Reservoir in Churu district through a 295.5-km underground pipeline network.
The project will include three pipelines, each 3.6 metres in diameter, an inspection motorway, artificial reservoirs and a modern digital water management system. It also provides for drinking water supply to ten locations in Haryana.
According to the Rajasthan government, the Detailed Project Report has been uploaded on the Central Water Commission’s e-PAMS portal, while Haryana has granted in-principle approval for the proposed pipeline alignment.
A dedicated Special Purpose Vehicle, the Rajasthan Haryana Yamuna Water Project-SPV, will be set up to oversee the project’s execution, operation and maintenance.
Sharma said the project would strengthen long-term water security and boost agriculture, industrial growth and socio-economic development, particularly in Rajasthan’s water-stressed regions, including the Shekhawati belt.