In a monumental breakthrough for inter-state water management, the governments of Rajasthan and Haryana signed a historic Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on Monday to implement the long-delayed Yamuna Water Project. The pact, signed in the national capital, operationalizes the 1994 Upper Yamuna River Board Agreement, effectively ending a 32-year-old water-sharing dispute.
The historic agreement was sealed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Valued at an estimated ₹34,102 crore, the massive infrastructure project will channel approximately 580 Million Cubic Meters (MCM) of surplus monsoon water from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana to the parched regions of Rajasthan. The water will be transported via a 295.5-kilometer underground pipeline network terminating at the Hansiyawas Reservoir in Rajasthan’s Churu district. The engineering marvel features three major underground pipelines, each exceeding 3.6 meters in diameter.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the agreement as a prime example of “cooperative federalism” and the Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘Solution through Dialogue.’ Shah emphasized that the scientifically comprehensive framework is a “win-win situation” for both states, designed to remain dispute-free for decades to come by clearly addressing cost-sharing, water release protocols, and maintenance.
The project primarily secures long-term drinking water security for Rajasthan’s hyper-arid Shekhawati region, heavily benefiting the water-stressed districts of Sikar, Churu, and Jhunjhunu. Concurrently, the infrastructure will supply drinking water to ten locations in Haryana, including the Bhiwani and Fatehabad areas. Officials noted that the project will also prevent massive volumes of monsoon rainwater from going to waste, directing it instead to large artificial reservoirs to actively recharge depleting groundwater levels.
To oversee the construction, operations, and long-term maintenance of the project, both state governments will jointly establish a Special Purpose Vehicle known as the Rajasthan-Haryana Yamuna Water Project (RHYW-SPV).