Song dam 2026: Dehradun's 150 MLD water project now due by November 2029

Uttarakhand has set November 2029 as the deadline for the ₹2,524 crore Song dam, meant to supply 150 MLD of drinking water to Dehradun. Here is where it stands.

What happened

A new deadline. At a review reported on 21 January 2026, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan told officials to finish each phase of the Song and Jamrani dam projects on time, Amar Ujala reported. The report gave the Song dam's cost as ₹2,524.42 crore and its completion deadline as November 2029. It described the dam as 130.60 metres high and a gravity-based drinking water project with a capacity of 150 million litres a day (MLD). The Chief Secretary asked for quality checks at first, second and third-party levels, and for rehabilitation, compensation and allotments for affected families to be handled quickly through dialogue.

The foundation stone. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on 9 November 2025, 101Reporters reported, at a stated cost of ₹2,492 crore. In June 2025, Pioneer Edge reported that the original deadline was March 2030 and that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami wanted it finished earlier.

The contract. Afcons Infrastructure received the letter of acceptance for the dam in November 2024 from the Uttarakhand Project Development and Construction Corporation, for ₹1,274 crore excluding GST, with a 60-month completion period, according to a Bajaj Broking summary of the award. The higher figures above cover the whole project.

Why Dehradun needs it. The state irrigation department's project page puts Dehradun's current drinking water shortfall at 76.46 MLD and projects it to grow to 256.02 MLD by 2051. The dam is planned on the Song river near Sondhana village in the Maldevta area, with a 6 MW powerhouse.

The cost to villages and forests. 101Reporters reported in November 2025 that full-scale construction had not yet begun. It said three villages, Sondhana, Rangargaon and Ghurshalgaon, with 50 households and 486 people, would be submerged, and that rehabilitation land had been identified at Ranipokhari. It also reported that over 12,500 trees were proposed for felling, and that some affected farmers said the land offered in exchange was much smaller than what they now hold. A 2021 central government letter recorded Stage-I forest approval for 127.67 hectares of forest land.

Sources differ on details. The irrigation department page gives the dam height as 148.25 metres measured from the deepest foundation, while Amar Ujala and Pioneer Edge give 130.60 metres. Costs also differ by source and date.

What it means for buyers and tenants in Dehradun

This section is our view.

Relief is years away. Even on the official schedule, the dam is due in late 2029, and water then has to reach homes through treatment plants and pipelines. For the next few years, Dehradun's supply will depend on existing sources, tubewells and tankers.

Check water before you buy or rent. Ask how the home gets water: Jal Sansthan line, society borewell, or tanker. Ask how many hours a day it comes in summer, and whether there is storage. A house with a reliable connection is worth more than one that looks cheaper but runs on tankers. Our checks before you pay for a flat include utility questions to ask.

Areas on the eastern side could gain most later. The dam is on the Song river on the Maldevta side of the city. Which colonies will be served first will depend on the pipeline plan, which we have not seen published. Do not pay a premium today based on a seller's claim that a locality will get Song dam water.

Follow the Dehradun Master Plan 2041. Where the city is allowed to grow and where water is planned need to line up. If you are buying a plot on the edge of the city, ask the seller and MDDA what services are planned there. You can compare listings of homes for sale in Dehradun on ILA Infra.

Questions people ask

When will the Song dam be ready?

The deadline given at a January 2026 government review was November 2029, according to Amar Ujala. Water will reach homes only after the supply network is built.