Rekha Gupta, Nayab Saini and CR Paatil reach the meeting chaired by Amit Shah to discuss the Kishau Dam project.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Saini and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil reached New Delhi on Tuesday to participate in a high-level meeting on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project. The meeting is being chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have also reached the national capital for the discussions, which are being conducted in hybrid mode at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Union Power Minister Manohar Lal, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Union Water Resources Department and the Prime Minister’s Office, are also expected to participate in the meeting. The latest discussions come nearly three months after a meeting held at the MHA on June 16 under Amit Shah's leadership. At that meeting, the six states associated with the project—Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan—reached an understanding on moving ahead with the Kishau Multipurpose Project.

Following the June discussions, the participating states agreed in principle to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for implementing the project. The proposal is also expected to be taken up by the Union Cabinet for approval in the near future. Under the proposed funding arrangement, the Centre is expected to cover 90 per cent of the project's water component as central assistance. The remaining 10 per cent would be contributed jointly by the six participating states.

Another key understanding reached earlier involved Himachal Pradesh's allocated water share. It was agreed that a portion of Himachal Pradesh's water entitlement would be made available to Delhi and Rajasthan, while the two states would contribute towards the cost of Himachal Pradesh's share of the project's power component.

The arrangement is being viewed as an important step toward improving water availability and supporting efforts to revive the Yamuna. The additional storage and regulated water flow from the project could contribute to maintaining greater flow in the river and improving the availability of water for various uses. The Kishau Multipurpose Project is being developed on the Tons River, one of the major tributaries of the Yamuna. The proposed reservoir is intended to serve several purposes, including irrigation, hydropower generation and strengthening drinking water supplies. With multiple states and the Centre involved in the project, the ongoing discussions are focused on resolving financial, water-sharing and implementation issues so that the long-pending project can move closer to execution.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.