Uttarakhand News: A major step was taken on Tuesday regarding the Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the implementation of the project was signed between Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi at Dutva Bhawan in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. This project, which has been pending for years, has now gained decisive momentum towards getting it off the ground. The process of signing the MoU has been completed after the agreement between the Center and six states in June 2026.
Important project for water security and energy
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that this is not just the signing of an agreement, but a historic step towards taking forward the long-awaited Kishau project. He thanked the Center and partner states for resolving the bottlenecks related to the project under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Kishau project is being considered as a multipurpose project of national importance related to water security, irrigation, drinking water, energy production and revitalization of Yamuna. Closer under the revised project Reservoir of 1562 MCM capacity And 422 MW power generation capacity Will develop. This is expected to provide long-term benefits related to water and energy to the states of the Upper Yamuna Basin.
Project moved forward with cooperation between six states
Kishau project is proposed on Tons river in the border area of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. Issues related to cost, water sharing and states' responsibilities had been coming to the fore for a long time regarding the project. After consensus was reached on these issues in the central level meeting held in June, the MoU has now cleared the way for the project to be formally taken forward. The central government will bear 90 per cent of the cost of the water component of the project as central assistance, while the remaining 10 per cent financial burden will be shared by the six states.
Rehabilitation of affected families priority
Chief Minister Dhami said that proper and dignified rehabilitation of the families affected by the construction of the project will be the top priority of the Uttarakhand government. He said that along with development, it is also important to protect the interests of the affected people and the government will work with full sensitivity in this direction.
Challenge of transfer of 2500 hectares of forest land
The Chief Minister said that for the project close to 2500 hectares of forest land Transfer will be required. Due to this, a large amount of land will also be required for compensatory afforestation. This is an important challenge for a forested and mountainous state like Uttarakhand. He appealed for cooperation from the Central Government and all the participating states in identifying the land required for compensatory afforestation.
Dhami said that Uttarakhand is committed to maintaining a balance between development and environmental protection and all environmental and forest related rules related to the project will be ensured.
Revitalization of Yamuna will also benefit
The Kishau project is expected to help improve the flow of clean water in the Yamuna while increasing water availability. According to the Central Government, this project can also play an important role towards the revitalization of Yamuna.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the Center and all the participating states will together fulfill their resolve to complete the project in a time bound manner. He said that the signing of the MoU is an important milestone towards achieving long-term benefits related to water, energy and development for future generations.