Haryana to supply 580 million cubic metres of water to Rajasthan yearly under 1994 pact

Haryana and Rajasthan have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to operationalise water-sharing as per the long-delayed 1994 Upper Yamuna River Board Agreement. Under the MoU, Haryana will supply 580 million cubic metres of water from the Yamuna canal to Rajasthan through three underground pipelines from July to October every year.

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and his Rajasthan counterpart, Bhajan Lal Sharma, signed the MoU in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil. Shah said drinking water would now be supplied to the districts of Sikar, Churu, and Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, as well as the Bhiwani and Fatehabad areas in Haryana. “The water that was earlier going to waste will now quench people’s thirst and be stored in large ponds to recharge groundwater,” he added.

Union government officials said the MoU would accelerate the construction of the Renuka, Kishau, and Lakhwar dams, envisaged by the 1994 agreement. “These projects will enhance water storage capacity in the Yamuna basin, improve drinking water supply, and increase the availability of water for irrigation,” an official said.

The 1994 agreement allocated Yamuna waters as follows: Haryana: 40.6 per cent, Uttar Pradesh: 35.1 per cent, Rajasthan: 10.4 per cent, Delhi: 6.3 per cent, and Himachal Pradesh: 1.7 per cent. The new pipeline project, estimated at Rs 3,900 crore, involves constructing approximately 300 km of underground pipelines from Hathinikund to Rajasthan. Both states will jointly determine responsibilities related to land acquisition, pipeline construction, monitoring, operation, and maintenance.

However, retired irrigation department officials and experts have warned that diverting surplus water from the Yamuna to Rajasthan could reduce groundwater recharge in six Haryana districts—Yamunanagar, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Faridabad, and Palwal. They argue that Haryana is already facing water scarcity and that the surplus water could instead have been utilised in the state’s southern districts.

The MoU has also drawn criticism from sections of the Opposition, particularly the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). INLD national patron Sampat Singh said, “Haryana should first secure its rightful share of water, including through the long-pending Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal project. Haryana’s share of Yamuna water had been reduced under the 1994 interstate agreement from nearly 67 per cent to 46 per cent, while permanent allocations were made to Rajasthan and Delhi.” He added that all 17 INLD MLAs resigned in 1994 in protest against the agreement and that the party would continue its struggle through democratic means.

Despite concerns, Amit Shah stated that the framework of the MoU, prepared by Haryana, Rajasthan, and the Central Water Commission, would stand as a dispute-free agreement for many decades to come.