- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil met with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to discuss water supply concerns in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu districts.
Sources indicate that the first joint meeting of the task force formed by the governments of Rajasthan and Haryana to implement the Yamuna Water Agreement was held on April 7, followed by the second on April 25. A consultant will soon be appointed to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Jhunjhunu, Dhankhar’s home district, has been actively involved in addressing regional issues, particularly related to agriculture and farmers. Recently, farmers protested at Lal Chowk in Chirawa, demanding Yamuna water. The project aims to secure drinking water supply for water-scarce districts like Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu.
Recent developments suggest increased prospects for the actual implementation of the Yamuna Water Agreement. Dhankhar’s continuous efforts toward finding a permanent solution to the region’s water crisis have played a key role in advancing this initiative.
It is noteworthy that, based on a 1994 agreement among Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi, a total of 11,983 million cubic meters (MCM) of Yamuna water was allocated annually, with Rajasthan receiving 1,119 MCM each year.
During the 22nd meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) in 2001 at Hathnikund Barrage (Tajewala Head), it was decided that Rajasthan would get 1917 cusecs (around 577 MCM) of water during the monsoon months (July to October). However, due to the lack of infrastructure to transport water from Hathnikund, Rajasthan has been unable to access its share since 1994.
In February 2025, Rajasthan, Haryana, and the Jal Shakti Ministry signed an MoU to address drinking water and other needs. They agreed to develop a joint DPR for transporting water to Rajasthan via an underground pipeline from Hathnikund Barrage.
Following this, the first joint meeting of the Haryana and Rajasthan task forces took place on April 7 in Yamunanagar, Haryana, where initial discussions on pipeline alignment and ground-level testing occurred. The second meeting was held on April 25 in Palwal.
