Centre signs MoU with 6 states for Lakhwar Yamuna basin project

Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with six states for construction of the Lakhwar multipurpose project in the upper Yamuna basin to address the region's water crisis.

The MoU was signed by the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi — Yogi Adityanath, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, Trivendra Singh Rawat, Jai Ram Thakur, Manohar Lal Khattar and Arvind Kejriwal, respectively.

Under the agreement, the 204-metre-high project will be constructed near Lohari village in Uttarakhand and will have a live storage capacity of 330.66 million cubic metres (MCM).

"The MoU has been signed to create storage facilities in the upper Yamuna basin to deal with the water crisis between January and June," Gadkari said.

The project aims to conserve and utilise the monsoon flow of the Yamuna. The Centre will provide 90 per cent of the project cost, while the remaining amount will be contributed by the six participating states.

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 3,966.51 crore.

Gadkari said the stored water would provide irrigation facilities to 33,780 hectares of land and ensure 78.83 MCM of water for domestic, drinking and industrial requirements across the six basin states.

The project is also expected to generate 300 MW of electricity and will be implemented by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVL).