Following tripartite talks among the Chief Ministers of Haryana and Rajasthan, along with Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, a new canal has been proposed to carry Yamuna water to Rajasthan from the Hathnikund Barrage in Haryana to Hansiyawas in Rajasthan’s Churu district.
A nearly 400-page detailed project report (DPR) for the proposal has been prepared by the Rajasthan government and submitted to Haryana’s Irrigation Department. The DPR reveals that the proposed 295.5-km-long canal will have a capacity of 1,900 cusecs of water. The canal will be constructed using RCC pipes and will remain completely underground. The entire cost of construction will be borne by the Rajasthan government, sources in the Irrigation Department said.
Sources said the proposal was agreed upon during a high-level meeting held in New Delhi on May 13. The meeting was attended by Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to discuss the pipeline canal project under the Yamuna water agreement.
The sources added that a joint detailed project report (DPR) for laying the pipeline under the Yamuna water agreement has already been prepared and shared with the Haryana government. The DPR will soon be uploaded to the online portal of the Central Water Commission, after which the scrutiny process will begin. Following detailed discussions with the Haryana government and approval from the Central Water Commission, work on the project will commence, the sources added.
Under the MoU signed between Rajasthan and Haryana on February 17, 2024, the Yamuna water allocated from the Hathnikund Barrage during July to October will be supplied to Rajasthan’s Churu, Sikar, and Jhunjhunu districts through this new underground pipeline canal.
The canal will pass through six Haryana districts — Yamunanagar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, and Hisar — before entering Rajasthan’s Churu district.
Details in the project report reveal that out of the total 295.5-km length, nearly 290 km will fall within Haryana. Rajasthan will receive water through the canal during the three monsoon months, while for the remaining nine months, the Haryana Irrigation Department will be able to use the canal. Land acquisition for the project will be carried out within a 25-metre-wide corridor. The report also states that a road has been proposed alongside the underground canal for security and monitoring purposes.
In Hisar district, the canal will have four outlets through which water can be supplied to other canals in Haryana. These points are proposed near Chaudhary Minor, Sarsana Crossing, Barwala Canal, and Danoda Kalan. Haryana will also be able to use the canal during the remaining nine months whenever required for drinking water supply. The Haryana government has already provided information regarding tapping points for supplying potable water to certain areas.
An official from the Irrigation Department said that the proposal received from the Rajasthan government was currently being examined.
According to the proposed alignment, the new canal will pass through Litani, Gaibipur, Naya Gaon, Beed Hisar, Dhandur, Nyoli Kalan, Shahpur, Hindwan, Panihar, Gorchi, and Gawar villages in Hisar district. Farmers whose land falls within the project area will be compensated in accordance with the Haryana government’s land acquisition policy, the project report states.
