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Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil met with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and discussed the issue of water supply in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu districts.
According to sources, the first joint meeting of the task force formed by the Rajasthan and Haryana governments for the implementation of the Yamuna Water Agreement was held on April 7 of this year, and the second joint meeting was conducted on April 25. A consultant will soon be appointed to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR). It is worth noting that Jhunjhunu is the home district of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has consistently worked towards resolving various regional issues, especially those related to agriculture and farmers. Recently, farmers have been protesting at Lal Chowk in Chirawa, demanding Yamuna water. This historic project aims to ensure drinking water supply, particularly to the water-scarce districts of Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu. Given the recent developments, the prospects for the ground-level implementation of the Yamuna Water Agreement have strengthened. Vice President Dhankhar's persistent efforts for a permanent solution to the region's water crisis have significantly advanced the realisation of this project. It is important to recall that under an agreement signed in 1994 between Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi, a total of 11,983 MCM of Yamuna river water was allocated, out of which Rajasthan was allotted 1119 MCM annually. In line with the agreement, the 22nd meeting of the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) was held in 2001 at Hathnikund Barrage (Tajewala Head), where it was decided to allocate 1917 cusecs (equivalent to 577 MCM annually) of water to Rajasthan during the monsoon season (July to October). However, due to the lack of necessary transport infrastructure to bring water from the Hathnikund Barrage, Rajasthan has been unable to receive its share of water since 1994. In February 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the governments of Rajasthan, Haryana, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti to meet drinking water and other needs. It was agreed to prepare a joint DPR for transporting water to Rajasthan through an underground pipeline from Hathnikund Barrage. In this sequence, the first joint meeting of the Haryana and Rajasthan task forces was held on April 7 in Yamunanagar, Haryana, where initial discussions took place regarding ground-level testing for the pipeline alignment. The second joint meeting of both states' task forces was held on April 25 in Palwal. (ANI)
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