- Why in news
- On 15 September 2026, the Chief Ministers of UP, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana signed the Kishau Multipurpose Project agreement before Amit Shah and C. R. Patil. The Centre has declared it a National Project.
- What it is
- Kishau is a proposed multipurpose storage dam on the Tons River, a Yamuna tributary, on the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border. It is one of the upper Yamuna storage projects planned under the 1994 water-sharing agreement among the basin states. Such projects need separate state agreements on cost and water use.
- Dam design
- A 232.6 m high concrete gravity dam is planned on the Tons River, storing 1,562 million cubic metres.
- Benefits
- It will irrigate 97,000 hectares and generate 1,476 million units of hydropower.
- Funding
- The Centre will bear about 90% of the cost; the participating states bear 10% under the 1994 agreement.
- 1994 agreement
- An agreement of 12 May 1994 provided for separate agreements for each storage project in the basin.
- Status
- The Government of India has declared Kishau a National Project.
- Yamuna confluence
- The Yamuna joins the Ganga at Prayagraj.
- States in the consensus
- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan agreed to sign an MoU.
- Funding of water component
- The Centre bears 90% of the water component cost as Central Assistance. The six states share the remaining 10%.
- Next step
- After the MoU is signed, the project goes to the Union Cabinet for approval.
- Water-for-power swap
- Himachal's share of water goes to Delhi and Rajasthan, in return for their sharing the cost of Himachal's portion of the power component.
- Location
- The dam is on the Tons River, a Yamuna tributary, on the Uttarakhand-Himachal border.
Don’t confuse with Tons (Kishau) vs Tamsa/Tons of Uttar Pradesh: The Tons at Kishau is a Yamuna tributary in Uttarakhand-Himachal. Another Tons (Tamsa) is a Ganga tributary in UP and MP.
Don’t confuse with Kishau vs Lakhwar: Both are upper Yamuna storage projects under the 1994 agreement. Lakhwar is on the Yamuna itself in Uttarakhand; Kishau is on the Tons.
Why it matters
- Settles a decades-old upper Yamuna dispute among six states by consensus.
- Adds storage and hydropower, and Delhi gets more water, with a release for the river's own flow.
- National Project status eases financing.
- Adds storage in the upper Yamuna, helping dry-season flow and Delhi's drinking water.
- Resolves a decades-old inter-state dispute through dialogue, a model for cooperative federalism.
- Adds hydropower capacity for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Problems
- Submergence, displacement and ecological damage in the Himalayan hill region.
- Uttarakhand's financial burden and concerns over benefit-sharing.
- Seismic risk and long delays in a tall dam in a fragile zone.
- Large dams in the Himalayas raise displacement, forest loss and seismic-risk concerns.
- The MoU is only an agreement to sign; cost, power and water shares still need detailed approvals.
Way forward
- Fix an environmental flow for the Yamuna and enforce it.
- Complete rehabilitation and impact assessment before construction.
- Use the Zonal Councils and Inter-State Council for monitoring and dispute resolution.
- Complete environmental and forest clearances and a fair rehabilitation plan for affected villages.
- Fix clear water and power shares in the MoU and review them through the Upper Yamuna River Board.
Put in your answer
Centre-state consensus: Zonal Councils laid the base for several water-dispute settlements, with the Jal Shakti Ministry taking agreements forward.
Environmental flow lapse: The Yamuna's environmental flow was not calculated when water was allocated.
Inter-state water cooperation: Kishau shows states agreeing on cost and water sharing, with the Centre funding 90% of the water component.
- 2016Mains ESSAY · Q3Water disputes between States in federal India, as an essay topic.
- 2020Mains GS3 · Q14Measures to improve water storage and irrigation for judicious use under depletion.
- 2013Mains GS2 · Q6Whether inter-state water dispute mechanisms fail due to structural or process inadequacy.
- 2020Mains GS1 · Q14Critically examine whether river interlinking solves droughts, floods, navigation problems
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Pairs
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
With reference to the Kishau Multipurpose Project, consider the following pairs:
- 1.Kishau Multipurpose Project — Proposed on the Tons River, a tributary of the Yamuna
- 2.States that agreed to sign the MoU — Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan
- 3.Himachal Pradesh's share of water under the consensus — Allocated to Punjab in return for cost-sharing of the power component
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
True or false?
1 of 10
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The Kishau dam is planned on the Tons River, which flows along the Uttarakhand-Himachal Pradesh border.
True. Kishau is on the Tons River on the Uttarakhand-Himachal border.
2.The Kishau project is planned as an earthen embankment dam.
False. It is a concrete gravity dam, 232.6 m high.
3.The Centre will bear about 90 per cent of the project's financial burden.
True. Centre about 90%, states 10%.
4.The project is expected to irrigate about 97,000 hectares.
True. 97,000 hectares of irrigation.
5.The 1994 agreement among Yamuna basin states provided that each storage project would need a separate agreement.
True. The 12 May 1994 agreement required separate agreements per storage project.
6.The Tons River, on which Kishau is planned, is a tributary of the Ganga flowing directly into it at Prayagraj.
False. The Tons here is a Yamuna tributary; the Yamuna joins the Ganga at Prayagraj.
7.The project lies on the border of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
True. It is on the Uttarakhand-Himachal border.
8.Six states agreed to sign the MoU, including Delhi and Rajasthan.
True. HP, Uttarakhand, Delhi, UP, Haryana and Rajasthan agreed.
9.Himachal Pradesh's share of water is to go to Punjab in return for cost-sharing of the power component.
False. It goes to Delhi and Rajasthan.
10.After the MoU is signed, the project is to be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval.
True. Cabinet approval follows the MoU.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Mains practice
15 marks · 250 words
The six Yamuna basin states recently signed the Kishau Multipurpose Project agreement, and the Centre has declared the project a National Project. Examine the provisions of the 1994 water-sharing arrangement among the basin states and the role of the Centre in resolving inter-state water disputes. Discuss the challenges that remain in sharing and managing Yamuna waters, including environmental flow.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.