New Delhi/Shimla/Chandigarh, Sept. 16 -- Six Yamuna basin states on Tuesday signed a memorandum of agreement for the long-pending Kishau Multipurpose dam project in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district, with Union home minister Amit Shah describing the pact as a "historic agreement". The chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana - Yogi Adityanath, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Bhajanlal Sharma, Rekha Gupta and Nayab Singh Saini - signed the pact in the presence of Shah and jal shakti minister CR Patil, an official statement said. The agreement aims to strengthen water security, power generation, irrigation and drinking water supply in the six states, besides contributing to the rejuvenation of the Yamuna river. Shah said the agreement would benefit all six states in different ways and congratulated their chief ministers and Patil for helping to bring the project to this stage. He said, "The Centre and the chief ministers of the six Yamuna basin states are committed to completing the project at the earliest." The Kishau project envisages the construction of a 232.6-metre-high concrete gravity dam on the Tons River, which flows along the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border, with a water storage capacity of 1,562 million cubic metres. The project will potentially irrigate 97,000 hectares of land and generate 1,476 million units of clean hydropower, Shah said, adding that Delhi would be the biggest beneficiary. The pact comes after the six states agreed in June to sign an MoU on the project, clearing the way for its consideration by the Union cabinet. The project is estimated to cost around Rs.15,000 crore and has been pending for more than eight years. "Under the agreement, the Centre will bear approximately 90% of the financial burden, while the remaining 10% will be borne by the participating states in accordance with the 1994 agreement," said Shah. He said an agreement reached on May 12, 1994, provided for separate agreements for each storage project coming up in the Yamuna basin. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the project would expand irrigation facilities in the state, empower farmers, strengthen drinking-water availability and help maintain the uninterrupted flow of the Yamuna. In a post on X, he described the agreement a reflection of "solution through cooperation" and cooperative federalism. He said the states' joint resolve would open new avenues for water security and agricultural prosperity and give fresh momentum to the creation of "Developed Uttar Pradesh-Developed India". "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a significant resolve has been realised today towards the proper utilisation of water resources and ensuring water security for future generations," Adityanath added. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said, "Delhi, in particular, will receive 109.9 MCM of water under the arrangement, helping meet the capital's drinking water requirements and improve the environmental flow of the Yamuna." "Water shortage is one of Delhi's major challenges. The progress of the Kishau project will strengthen Delhi's water security and make additional raw water available to the capital during periods of low water availability," Gupta added. "Adequate flow is essential for the river's environmental health. The Delhi government is working at various levels to make the Yamuna clean and pristine, and the benefits of the Kishau project will further strengthen these efforts," she said. Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state expected to earn around Rs.1,200-Rs.1,500 crore annually after the completion of the project. "History has been created in Himachal Pradesh. Our water is our wealth, and for the first time, the state will get the benefit it deserves from this resource," Sukhu said after signing the pact in New Delhi. "The other big benefit for the state under the agreement is that the state will receive 211 MW of electricity generated from the project without having to bear the cost of generation. The expenditure, which would have run into thousands of crores of rupees, will now be borne by the states that utilise the project's water," Sukhu added. Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said, "Haryana's share in the Yamuna water is 48% and would therefore directly benefit from increased availability. Along with the Kishau Project, the Renuka Ji and Lakhwar projects are also important for Haryana. Construction work on both these projects is already underway. The three projects will collectively increase water availability by 2,676 cusecs, of which 1,280 cusecs will be Haryana's share."...