Lucknow: The state cabinet on Saturday approved UP’s financial participation in two under-construction water projects — Lakhwar Multipurpose Project in Uttarakhand and the Renukaji Dam Project in Himachal Pradesh.The cabinet approved an expenditure of Rs 356.07 crore as UP’s share in the Lakhwar project, the cost of which is Rs 5,647.17 crore. The project is being constructed on the Yamuna River near Lohari village in the Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand. The project includes a 204m-high dam, a 300 MW underground power house and a balancing reservoir with a barrage. UP’s water consumption share is 31.05%. The project will make available irrigation water for about 33,780 hectares of land across beneficiary states, including Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, UP and Uttarakhand. It will provide 78.83 MCM of water for domestic and industrial use and generate 300 MW of incidental power. The project is targeted for completion by Dec 2031. An expenditure of Rs 361.04 crore was also approved as UP’s share in the Renukaji Dam Project, being constructed on the Giri River in the Sirmaur district of Himachal. The total cost of the project is Rs 6,946.99 crore that involves construction of a 148m-high and 430m-long dam, with a total water storage capacity of 498 MCM and live storage capacity of 330 MCM. It also includes a 40 MW power generation facility.
