After a delay of several years, Chief Ministers of six north Indian States — Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh — signed an agreement for Renukaji Multi-Purpose Dam project on Friday, in the presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Besides supplying 275 million gallons of water to Delhi every day, the dam will generate 40 mega watt of electricity for Himachal Pradesh.
The projects were conceived in 2008. The dam is conceptualised as a three-way project to be constructed along the Yamuna and two of its tributaries, the Tons and Giri in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. The project has been conceived as a drinking water supply scheme for the national capital and envisages the construction of 148 m high rock fill dam on river Giri at Dadahu in Sirmaur district and a powerhouse at toe of the dam.
According to the Ministry, the total cost of the project estimated on price Level 2015 is Rs 4,596.76 crore out of which the cost of irrigation/drinking water component is Rs 4,325.43 crore and the power component Rs 277.33 crore. The share of water among the States will be: Haryana-47.8 per cent; Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand-33.65 per cent; Himachal-3.15 per cent; Rajasthan-9.3 per cent and NCT of Delhi: 6.04 per cent.
The agreement was signed by Arvind Kejriwal, Ashok Gehlot, Yogi Adityanath, Manohar Lal Khattar, Jai Ram Thakur and Trivendra Singh Rawat — the Chief Ministers of Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, respectively.
The projects include Lakhwar project on the Yamuna in Uttarakhand, Kisau on the Tons in Uttarakhand and Himachal, and Renukaji on the Giri in Himachal.
“After construction of the dam, the flow of river Giri will increase by about 110 per cent which will meet the drinking water needs of Delhi and other basin States up to some extent in the lean period,” Gadkari said.
The States had already signed an agreement in respect of sharing of cost and benefits of Lakhwar project in August 2018. Renukaji Dam project has been conceived as a storage project on the Giri river (tributary of the Yamuna) in Sirmour district of Himachal. It envisages construction if 148 m-high rock-filled dam for supply of 23 cumec water to Delhi and other basin States. “After the construction of the dam, the flow of river Giri will increase by about 110 per cent which will meet the drinking water needs of Delhi and other basin states up to some extent in the lean period,” officials added.
The power project is proposed to be executed by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (HPPCL). The live storage of Renukaji project is 0.404 MAF and total submergence area is about 1,508 hectares in the territory of Himachal. Stored water of Renukaji Dam will be used by the signatory states.
The Centre will bear 90 per cent of cost of irrigation/drinking water component, and the balance cost will be borne by the states as per the MoU inked by them in 1994.