Chandigarh, September 15:- In the presence of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri C. R. Patil, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath, Haryana Chief Minister Shri Nayab Singh Saini, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Rajasthan Chief Minister Shri Bhajan Lal Sharma and Delhi Chief Minister Smt. Rekha Gupta today signed the Kishau Project Agreement. The Union Home Secretary, Secretary of the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, and the Chief Secretaries of the concerned states were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the meeting, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah said that today we have witnessed a historic agreement. He expressed confidence that after completion, this project would become an important chapter in history. He said that with today’s agreement, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi would benefit in one form or another. Shri Shah said that the best part is that all six states have given their consent and signed the agreement. The Home Minister congratulated the Chief Ministers of the six states and Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri C. R. Patil for playing an important role in bringing the project to this stage. He said that the Government of India and the Chief Ministers of these six states of the Yamuna basin are committed to completing the project at the earliest.
Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that since Shri Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, this is set to be the tenth water dispute to be resolved today. He said that under Modi Ji’s leadership, a campaign has been underway to resolve serious disputes that have continued for the past fifty years. He said that first, in August 2018, the dispute over the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project was resolved. In the same month, the dispute over the Shahpur Kandi Dam Project was settled. In 2019, the dispute over the Renukaji Multipurpose Dam Project in the Upper Yamuna Basin was resolved. In 2021, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh reached an agreement on the Ken-Betwa Link Project, benefiting water-stressed regions such as Bundelkhand. The Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal River Linking Scheme moved forward in 2024. The scheme to transfer water from Hathnikund to the Yamuna through an underground pipeline was approved in February 2024. The dispute concerning the rehabilitation of families displaced by the Narmada Project was resolved in July 2026. The dispute over water sharing between Bihar and Jharkhand in the Son Basin was resolved in August 2026, and today, finally, an agreement has been reached on the Kishau Multipurpose Project.
Shri Amit Shah said that the period from 2018 to 2026 will be known as a period in which, under Modi Ji’s leadership, almost all water disputes from Kashmir to Uttar Pradesh were brought to an end. He said that the foundation for these was laid in meetings of the Zonal Council, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti efficiently took these agreements forward. He said that after becoming Jal Shakti Minister, Shri C. R. Patil took upon himself the responsibility of resolving long-pending disputes. He took initiatives at every level and, wherever assistance was required, whether it involved activating the Inter-State Council or bringing the Ministry of Home Affairs on board, took the process to its conclusion.
Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that in the case of the Kishau Project, an agreement was reached on May 12, 1994, that separate agreements would be made for every storage project coming up in the basin. Without that arrangement, this would not have been possible. Then, after the disputes over the Lakhwar and Renukaji projects ended in 2019, work on Kishau moved forward. Formal consent on this was reached on June 16 last year. The Ministry of Jal Shakti took it forward and, after the consent of all states, considering the technical and economic aspects and the interests of all states, brought it to a resolution.
The Home Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of India has declared the Kishau Project a National Project. Around 90 per cent of its financial burden will be borne by the Government of India, while the remaining 10 per cent will be borne by the partner states as per the 1994 agreement. He said that the Uttarakhand government had some difficulties. The Government of India has assured them that efforts will be made to include their demands under Government of India schemes, and going forward, the Centre will also help them bear the financial burden that may fall on Uttarakhand.
Shri Amit Shah said that a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam will be constructed on the Tons River flowing along the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, where 1,562 million cubic metres of water will be stored. This will irrigate 97,000 hectares of land and generate 1,476 million units of clean hydropower. He said that Delhi would be the biggest beneficiary of this.
The Home Minister said that when the Yamuna waters were distributed, a serious mistake was made by policymakers. The environmental flow of the Yamuna was not calculated, and all the available water was distributed among the states. No water was left for the river. He said that 25 per cent of the water coming from the Kishau Project Agreement would prove highly beneficial for both Delhi and the Yamuna. This would also help protect the environment.
Shri Amit Shah said that ever since Smt. Rekha Gupta became the Chief Minister of Delhi, continuous work has been underway under Modi Ji’s leadership to clean the Yamuna. When the Yamuna becomes clean, the Ganga also becomes clean, because ultimately the Yamuna merges into the Ganga at Prayagraj. He said that until the dream of cleaning the Yamuna is fulfilled, the dream of cleaning the Ganga will also remain incomplete.
Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah said that the Chief Minister of Delhi and all concerned people are moving forward with full cooperation and dedication towards making the Yamuna clean. He said that today’s success is an excellent example of Modi Ji’s core mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas” and the Team India approach. It also reflects India’s vision in which everyone moves forward together. He expressed confidence that just as all stakeholders worked with one mind and in one direction in reaching this agreement, all the states would work in the same direction to complete the project as well. This will enable us to clean the Yamuna quickly and make drinking water, water for agriculture, development and industrial use available to crores of people.