New Delhi: In a significant development for water management, irrigation and hydropower planning in the Yamuna basin, an agreement for the Kishau Multipurpose Project was signed in the presence of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil. Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana participated in the agreement.
The agreement marks the culmination of negotiations among the six participating states over the proposed project on the Tons River, which flows along the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the participating states have agreed to work collectively towards completing the project at the earliest.
232.6-Metre Dam Proposed on Tons River
The Kishau Multipurpose Project envisages the construction of a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam on the Tons River. The project is planned with a water-storage capacity of approximately 1,562 million cubic metres (MCM).
According to the government, the project is expected to irrigate around 97,000 hectares of land and generate approximately 1,476 million units of clean hydropower. Delhi is identified as one of the major beneficiaries of the project, particularly in relation to water availability in the Yamuna system.
The Union Government has declared the Kishau Multipurpose Project a National Project and is expected to bear approximately 90 per cent of its financial burden. The remaining 10 per cent will be borne by the participating states in accordance with the 1994 agreement.
Long-Standing Water Disputes
The agreement follows several years of efforts to resolve inter-state water and infrastructure disputes. The government highlighted the resolution of disputes associated with projects including the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project, Shahpur Kandi Dam, Renukaji Multipurpose Dam and Ken-Betwa Link Project.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti also played a key role in bringing the states together and addressing technical, economic and water-sharing concerns associated with the Kishau project. A formal agreement on the project was reached earlier in June 2026 before the final agreement among the states.
Potential Implications for the Yamuna
A major component of the government’s assessment is the project’s potential contribution to water availability in the Yamuna. Amit Shah stated that 25 per cent of the water would become available through the Kishau Multipurpose Project Agreement, which the government says would benefit Delhi and the Yamuna.
The project is therefore positioned not only as an irrigation and hydropower intervention but also as part of a broader strategy for improving water availability and supporting efforts towards the rejuvenation of the Yamuna. The government has linked the project with the larger objective of improving the ecological condition of the river and strengthening water resources management across the basin.
The Union Home Minister also said that the Government of India would extend support to Uttarakhand in addressing the financial burden that may arise for the state under the project.
With the agreement now signed, the Kishau Multipurpose Project enters a new phase of inter-state cooperation and implementation. Its eventual impact will depend on subsequent project execution, environmental and technical processes, financing, rehabilitation requirements and coordinated implementation among the participating states.
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