The Kishau Multi-Purpose Dam Project

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The Union Home Minister led an important meeting in New Delhi where six states reached a historic agreement to start the long-delayed Kishau Multi-Purpose Dam Project.
The six participating states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan agreed to sign a formal memorandum of understanding (MoU).

The Kishau Multi-Purpose Dam Project is a massive water infrastructure and hydro-power initiative currently under development.
The central government has declared it a project of national importance to solve water sharing fights between states, produce green energy, and revive local river systems.

Workers are building the dam across the Tons River, which is a main feeder stream of the Yamuna River.
The site lies about 39 km (24 mi) north of Dakpathar and sits upstream from the existing Ichari Dam.
The huge structure physically sits right across the state boundary dividing Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The project aims to create a broad water management system to supply safe drinking water to downstream areas.
It seeks to expand farm irrigation across northern India and generate peak-load hydroelectric power.
It also works to increase the low ecological flow of the Yamuna River to help heal its environment.

The design features a huge 236-meter-high concrete gravity dam backed by an estimated financial investment of ₹11,500 crore.
The structure will create a massive reservoir holding 1,324 Million Cubic Meters (MCM) of live water storage capacity.
The dam houses a hydroelectric power plant rated at 660 Megawatts (MW), which is projected to generate 1,379 Million Units (MU) of clean electricity annually.
The storage network provides downstream water release systems capable of supporting the irrigation of 97,076 hectares (239,880 acres) of agricultural crops.
Under the newly brokered agreement, the Central Government will fund 90 percent of the project’s water component as a national financial assistance grant, while the six stakeholder states will split the remaining 10 percent.
To balance out initial project expenses, a unique resource swap was agreed upon: in lieu of sharing the costs of the power component, the water capacity allocated to Himachal Pradesh will be systematically supplied to fulfill the demands of Delhi and Rajasthan.
Initially approved by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2018 after years of negotiation delays, the project is currently scheduled for full completion by 2028.