Yamuna water to soon reach Rajasthan's Sikar, Churu and vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar's home district Jhunjhunu
Union Jal Shakti Minister and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar are addressing Rajasthan's water scarcity, particularly in Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu.
NEW DELHI: Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil met
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar
to discuss the longstanding issue of water supply to Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu, Sikar, and Churu districts, which fall in the parched Shekhawati region.
Sources said that the second joint meeting of the task force set up by the Rajasthan and Haryana governments to implement the
Yamuna Water Agreement
was held on April 25, following the first on April 7. A consultant will soon be appointed to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the underground pipeline to carry
Yamuna water to Rajasthan
.
Jhunjhunu, Dhankhar's home district, has been witnessing farmers' protests — including a recent one at Lal Chowk in Chirawa — demanding access to Yamuna water.
The Vice President has reportedly been closely following up on the issue and has played a key role in pushing forward the implementation of the 1994 agreement.
Rajasthan yet to receive its share since 1994
As per the 1994 Yamuna Water Agreement signed by Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, Rajasthan was allocated 1,119 MCM of Yamuna water annually. A later decision at the 22nd Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) meeting in 2001 further allocated 1,917 cusecs (577 MCM) to Rajasthan during the monsoon season (July–October).
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However, the state has not received this share since 1994 due to the absence of water transport infrastructure from the Hathnikund Barrage.
Pipeline plan gets momentum after MoU
In February 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the governments of Rajasthan and Haryana and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to explore a permanent solution. It was agreed that a joint DPR would be prepared for transporting water to Rajasthan through an underground pipeline from Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana.
Following the MoU, the first task force meeting between the two states was held in Yamunanagar on April 7, where initial groundwork for pipeline alignment was discussed. The second round of talks took place in Palwal on April 25.
Officials believe the joint efforts and regular coordination between the Centre and the two state governments have improved the prospects of actual ground-level implementation of this long-pending project.
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