A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for the construction of Adibadri Dam at an estimated cost of Rs.215.35 crore.

Key Points:

• The MoU was signed by the Chief Secretaries of both the states in Panchkula before Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khater and his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Jai Ram Thakur.
• The dam will be built on 31.66 hectares of land in Himachal Pradesh and will store 224.58 hectares of water every year, out of which Himachal Pradesh will get 61.88 hectares and Haryana will get the remaining 162 hectares.
• Due to the construction of Adibadri Dam, 20 cusecs of water will flow continuously in the Saraswati river. Due to this water will continue to flow in Saraswati throughout the year. The width of this dam will be 101.06 meters and the height will be 20.5 meters.
• Khater said that the construction of Adi Badri dam would rejuvenate the Saraswati river which was extinct for many years. The restoration of the Saraswati river will also revive religious beliefs from ancient times, as well as develop the region as a pilgrimage site.
• The Chief Minister said that a Chair has been set up in Kurukshetra University to conduct research on Saraswati river, besides Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board has also been established. Haryana Government has notified an area of 200 km for Saraswati river from Adi Badri to Ghaggar river via Kaithal.
• Khater said that the objective of this project is to revive the Saraswati river as well as increase the groundwater level. With the commissioning of the dam, the flood situation arising out of excessive rains during the rainy season will also be dealt with. The lake being built near it will also boost tourism.
• He said that the area from Kalka to Kalesar is very important from the point of view of tourism. Many religious and tourist places including Adibadri, Lohagarh, Kapalmochan, Mata Mantra Devi come to this area. The development of the lake along with the dam will attract many tourists, which will benefit both the states.
• The Chief Minister said that several projects would be worked out in collaboration with Himachal Pradesh, including construction of a dam at Hathnikund barrage. Apart from generating electricity from this dam, continuous flow of clean water will also be possible in the Yamuna river. This will also save the crops from flood-like situations.
• Speaking on the occasion, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that Adibadri Dam would meet the requirement of irrigation and drinking water for both the states. Due to the flow of water in the Saraswati river, this area will be developed from the point of view of religion and tourism.
• He said that this project would also be very useful for Himachal Pradesh, as 3.92 hectare meter per year would be earmarked for drinking water requirement for hilly state and 57.96 hectare meter for irrigation water demand of project affected habitations.
• He said that the entire funding of the project would be arranged by the Haryana government. Both the State Governments will be free to prepare tourism projects from their own resources, along with other infrastructure necessary for the welfare and development of the local people, without compromising on the primary objectives of the project.

By: Atul Dhimann