Centre revives three long-stalled Yamuna dam projects to shore up Delhi’s water supply

New Delhi: Three long-pending dam projects on the Yamuna and its tributaries, dormant for decades, have been reviewed and revived by the Centre, a move officials say could significantly ease Delhi’s chronic water shortage while improving year-round flow in the river, TOI reported.

The projects, Lakhwar in Uttarakhand, Renukaji in Himachal Pradesh, and Kishau on the Uttarakhand–Himachal Pradesh border, were discussed at a recent meeting attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and Delhi water minister Parvesh Verma, officials said. The deliberations form part of a broader strategy to rejuvenate the Yamuna and ensure long-term water security for the National Capital Territory (NCT).

According to officials, water from the three dams together could meet Delhi’s drinking water requirements for at least the next 25 years. The capital currently produces about 900 million gallons per day (MGD) of water against a demand of 1,113 MGD, while nearly 10% of households still lack access to piped water supply.


Once completed, the Lakhwar dam is expected to supply around 135 MGD of water to Delhi. The Renukaji and Kishau projects could add another 275 MGD and 372 MGD respectively, helping stabilise environmental flow (e-flow) in the river and reducing dependence on highly variable seasonal inflows. Officials estimate that water supply from these projects could begin within the next five to seven years.

E-flow refers to the quantity, timing, duration and quality of water flows required to sustain river ecosystems and dependent livelihoods. The three projects are located in the Upper Yamuna Basin and are designed to capture monsoon runoff that currently flows unutilised into the plains, an official said.

Among the three, the Lakhwar project is the largest. It involves constructing a 204-metre-high concrete dam on the Yamuna near Lohari village in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district. Conceived in 1976, construction began but was halted in 1992 due to funding constraints.

The Kishau multipurpose project, planned on the Tons river, a major Yamuna tributary, envisages a 236-metre-high dam with a live storage capacity of 1,324 million cubic metres. The project has faced prolonged delays due to inter-state disputes and financial challenges.

The Renukaji dam, proposed on the Giri river in Himachal Pradesh’s Sirmour district, is planned as a 148-metre-high rock-filled structure. Apart from water storage, it is designed to generate 40 MW of hydropower during peak flow periods, with water to be shared among Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Officials said Lakhwar is partially constructed, with about 12.61% of the work completed. Renukaji has entered the tendering stage, while Kishau remains at the inter-state agreement and approval phase. The Union government is coordinating clearances, financing arrangements and inter-state consensus, targeting completion by 2031 for Lakhwar, 2032 for Renukaji and 2033 for Kishau.

Experts, however, have urged caution. Water conservationist Rajendra Singh warned that dam designs must ensure the river’s natural flow is not obstructed. Reservoirs should be planned near natural meandering points and account for geo-hydro-morphological features, he said. Poorly designed structures, he added, risk blocking aquifers and natural underground water channels, potentially undermining long-term river health.

With inputs from TOI