Chandigarh, Aug 18 (IANS): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday approved the preliminary report of Hathnikund dam with a catchment area of about 11,170 sq km built in the region of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. It will generate 763 million units of electricity annually.

He first took a review meeting related to the dam, after which he approved to send the preliminary report prepared by the state Irrigation and Water Resources Department to the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Apart from the Water Commission, this report will also be sent to five states.

The Chief Minister said the Hathnikund dam is an ambitious project of the state government. This report is important in the construction of the project.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister said every year during the monsoon the Yamuna river area gets flooded. In view of this, the government has decided to build a dam in Hathnikund. With its construction, Haryana will not only get electricity but also water supply.

The Chief Minister said as per the requirement of the Central Water Commission, it is necessary to first prepare a preliminary report for obtaining its in-principle consent for the preparation of the detailed project report.

With the construction of the dam, groundwater recharging will take place, benefitting farmers in the region. Besides, flood situation arises in the area of Yamuna river every year during the monsoon will be solved.

The Chief Minister said the Renukaji, Lakhwar and Kishau dams will get the benefit with the construction of Hathnikund dam that will act as the balancing reservoir of the three dams.