Rajasthan, Haryana Join Hands on Yamuna Water Project for 580 MCM Water Transfer.

Rajasthan and Haryana recently signed an agreement for the construction and implementation of the Yamuna Water Project, paving the way for the transfer of around 580 million cubic metres (MCM) of water from the Yamuna Canal to Rajasthan through an underground pipeline network.

According to an official release by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the project will facilitate the supply of about 580 MCM of water between July and October through three underground pipelines, each measuring more than 3.6 metres in diameter.

The project is expected to provide drinking water to Rajasthan’s Sikar, Churu, and Jhunjhunu districts, along with Bhiwani and Fatehabad districts in Haryana. It will also enable Rajasthan to utilise its allocated share of Yamuna waters by transporting water from the Western Yamuna Canal through an underground pipeline system.

The agreement will allow Rajasthan to access its share of water under the 1994 Memorandum of Understanding on sharing the utilisable surface waters of the Upper Yamuna Basin.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Amit Shah said the agreement resolves a nearly three-decade-old water-sharing dispute between the two states and reflects the principles of cooperative federalism.

Shah said the project would help tackle drinking water shortages, especially in Rajasthan, while also supporting groundwater recharge by enabling the storage of excess water in ponds rather than allowing it to go unused.

The pact includes provisions related to financial responsibilities, cost-sharing arrangements, water allocation, release protocols, infrastructure operation and maintenance, monitoring mechanisms, transparency measures, and a dispute-resolution framework.