- Why in news
- On 29 June 2026, Rajasthan and Haryana signed an agreement in New Delhi, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, to build and run the Yamuna Water Project. It lets Rajasthan draw its share of Yamuna water through underground pipelines.
- What it is
- The Yamuna Water Project is a pipeline scheme to carry Rajasthan's allocated share of Upper Yamuna water from the Western Yamuna Canal in Haryana to arid districts of Rajasthan. The share comes from the 1994 MoU on sharing utilisable surface waters of the Upper Yamuna Basin. Rajasthan could not fully use that share for lack of a conveyance system.
- Legal basis
- Rajasthan's share comes from the 1994 MoU on sharing utilisable surface waters of the Upper Yamuna Basin.
- Water volume and season
- About 580 MCM of water is to be supplied to Rajasthan from July to October through three underground pipelines.
- Pipeline size
- The three pipelines each have a diameter of more than 3.6 metres.
- Areas to benefit
- Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, and Bhiwani and Fatehabad areas in Haryana.
- Source canal
- Water is drawn from the Western Yamuna Canal, which takes off from the Yamuna in Haryana.
Don’t confuse with Yamuna Water Project vs Yamuna Action Plan: The Yamuna Water Project is a water conveyance scheme for drinking water. The Yamuna Action Plan is a river pollution abatement programme.
Don’t confuse with 1994 Upper Yamuna MoU vs Ravi-Beas waters: The 1994 MoU covers Upper Yamuna sharing among basin states. The Ravi-Beas dispute involves Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and is a separate matter.
Places in the news: 26 Prelims questions since 2013, rising (12% of news questions in 2022–26); they test location and why it matters.
Why it matters
- Gives dry districts of Rajasthan a reliable drinking water source.
- Shows negotiated settlement of an inter-state water issue with Centre's facilitation.
Problems
- Cost-sharing and release protocols must hold over time.
- Supply is seasonal (July to October), so storage is needed for year-round use.
Way forward
- Build storage ponds to hold monsoon flows and recharge groundwater.
- Use the agreement's monitoring and dispute resolution mechanism to avoid fresh disputes.
Put in your answer
Cooperative federalism example: The Centre, via the Jal Shakti Ministry and the Central Water Commission, helped two states settle a long-pending water issue through dialogue.
Water for recharge: Water that earlier went unused is to be stored in large ponds to recharge groundwater.
- 2016Mains ESSAY · Q3Essay on water disputes between states in federal India
- 2013Mains GS2 · Q6Are inter-state water dispute mechanisms failing structurally, procedurally, or both?
- 2026Mains GS1 · Q7Water in South Asia as asset and conflict source
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Inter-state water agreement is a lasting topic. Mains questions on water disputes are rare as news-set items; the release gives few facts.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.