On 21st January 2022 the governments of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Haryana signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a Adi Badri dam on 77 acres in HP near the Adi Badri area of Yamunanagar, Haryana for the revival of the Saraswati river.
- The MoU was signed at Panchkula by the Chief Secretaries of Himachal Pradesh (HP) & Haryana in the presence of Chief Ministers (CMs) Jai Ram Thakur (HP) and Manohar Lal Khattar (Haryana).
- The construction of Adi Badri dam is estimated to cost Rs 215.35 crore and will ensure continuous flow of 20 cubic second (cusec) water in Saraswati river throughout the year.
- The area will also get developed as a pilgrimage site.
- Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) would be the executing agency for the Adi Badri dam and its related infrastructure.
- The entire funding of the Project would be arranged by the Haryana Government.
About Saraswati River:
i.The report from satellite claimed that the Saraswati originated at Adi Badri, an archaeological site which is located around 40 km away from Yamunanagar town of Haryana, at the foothills of the Shivalik mountains, near the Somb river.
- The Saraswati river existed more than 5,000 years ago, but disappeared underground because of earthquakes and other geographical developments.
ii.Haryana has made provisions for projects worth Rs 800 crore for the rejuvenation of the Saraswati river.
Research on Existence of Saraswati river:
i.The team was set up at the Kurukshetra University for conducting research on Saraswati River which has proved its presence through satellite images.
ii.The Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board has also been established to develop 5 riverfronts on the rejuvenated Saraswati river namely at Pipli (near Sabarmati river, Gujarat), Pehowa, Bilaspur, Dosarka (on Panchkula-Yamunanagar road) and the Theh Polar (near Saraswati-Sindhu Civilisation archaeological site).
About Adi Badri Dam:
i.The Adi Badri Dam will be constructed at the starting point of the Adi Badri river in Haryana for the continuous flow of water with a notified area of 200 Kilometre (km) from Adi Badri to Ghaggar river via Kaithal.
- Of the total proposed area, 31.16 hectares fall in HP(0.67 hectares of private landowners and 30.49 hectares of forestland).
ii.In the first phase, tourist spots will be created along the Adi Badri river’s course till Pehowa.
- A portion of the Somb river, a tributary of the Yamuna in Himachal Pradesh that passes through Adi Badri in Haryana will be diverted for 224 hectare metre water flow into the stream of the Saraswati river at the cost of Rs 215-crore dam.
iii.The construction of the dam will assign water flow of 3.92 hectare metres water per annum for HP drinking water requirements, and 57.96 hectare metres for irrigation water demand in project-affected habitations of HP.
Approval of the dam:
The ground inspection for the dam project has been done by NIH (National Institute of Hydrology) Roorkee, the GSI (Geological Survey of India) and the Central Ground Water Board will work on the designing part of the dam.
- A no-objection certificate from the Himachal Pradesh government and other necessary NOCs are under process.
Recent related news:
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi inaugurated 7 projects worth Rs. 2573 crore and laid foundation stone of 11 projects worth Rs. 15,778 crore in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. More than 1 Lakh crore has been approved by the centre in the last five years for the development of Uttarakhand.
About Haryana:
Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya
Dance – Ras Leela, Phag Dance, Daph Dance, Dhamal Dance
Dams – Kaushalya Dam, Ottu barrage, Tajewala Barrage
