On 16 June 2026 six states reached consensus on the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose Dam Project; they will sign a Memorandum of Understanding before submitting the proposal to the Union Cabinet for final approval.
Project profile
- Location: Proposed on the Tons River, a principal tributary of the Yamuna, on the Uttarakhand–Himachal Pradesh border.
- Purpose: Augment clean flow in the Yamuna, provide drinking water to Delhi, expand irrigation, and generate hydroelectric power.
- Installed capacity: 422 MW (hydro).
- Estimated cost: Approximately ₹15,000 crore.
Cost-sharing and allocations
- Water component finance: Central Government to bear 90%; remaining 10% to be shared by the six states.
- Power component adjustment: Himachal Pradesh’s water share to be allocated to Delhi and Rajasthan.
- Compensation for Himachal: Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana to assume Himachal’s estimated ₹2,000 crore share of the power component.
- Delay history: Project stalled for about eight years due to inter‑state cost‑sharing disputes.
Implementation & approvals
- Participating states: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan.
- Next steps: Signing of state MoU followed by submission to Union Cabinet for clearance.
IASPOINT Booster Facts
- River basin linkage: Tons → Yamuna → Ganga basin system (strategic for Delhi’s water security).
- Multipurpose dam features: Combines storage, irrigation release, municipal supply and hydropower generation.