Himachal Pradesh-Haryana sign pact to revive Saraswati River

Tags: State News

The governments of Himachal and Haryana on 21st January 2022, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a dam on 77 acres in Himachal near the Adi Badri area of Yamunanagar for the revival of the Saraswati river.

• The MoU was signed at Panchkula by the Chief Secretaries of both states in presence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khatar.
• The project would be useful for Himachal Pradesh as 3.92 hectare metre water per annum would be earmarked for the state for drinking purpose and 57.96 hectare metre for irrigation in the project affected habitations.
• The dam would not only be used primarily for the revival of the Saraswati river but also for water conservation in the region.
• Of the total proposed area, 31.16 hectares fall in Himachal (0.67 hectares of private landowners and 30.49 hectares of forestland).
• The dam would get 224 hectare metre water from the Somb river of Himachal that falls into the Yamuna near Adi Badri in Yamunanagar district.
• The HPPCL would be the executing agency for the Adi Badri dam and its related infrastructure.
• The project when completed would open avenues for tourism and also recharge groundwater.