The governments of Rajasthan and Haryana on Monday signed an agreement in New Delhi for the construction and implementation of the Yamuna water project. Under it, arrangements will be made to supply drinking water to the regions of Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, along with Bhiwani and Fatehabad areas in Haryana.The agreement was signed by Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and his Rajasthan counterpart Bhajan Lal Sharma in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The pact seeks to facilitate the conveyance of Rajasthan’s allocated share of Yamuna waters through an underground pipeline from the Western Yamuna Canal, enabling the state to effectively utilise the water allocated to it under the 1994 memorandum of understanding on the sharing of utilisable surface waters of the Upper Yamuna Basin.The project is expected to benefit millions of people by ensuring reliable drinking water supply and supporting socio-economic development in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan.Shah said approximately 580 million cubic metres (MCM) of water would be supplied from the Yamuna Canal to Rajasthan through three underground pipelines from July to October. These pipelines had a diameter of more than 3.6 metres and would provide drinking water to the people of both Rajasthan and Haryana, he said.Shah said the pact would ensure that the rainwater, which was previously going to waste, would now be stored in large ponds to help recharge the groundwater level. He said the framework of the agreement, prepared by Haryana, Rajasthan, and especially the Central Water Commission, would stand as a dispute-free arrangement for several decades to come. He said that under the chairmanship of Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, a resolution was achieved in only a few days.