New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS): The Centre is working on the revival of the river Saraswati and for this the governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are working jointly on the project.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed for the construction of Adi Badri Dam on River Somb in Himachal Pradesh along with its linkages with Saraswati River.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on February 10, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu gave more details about the project. He said that Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited has been identified as the executing agency for construction of the dam and its related infrastructure works.

The water stored by construction of Adi Badri Dam is planned primarily for revival of River Saraswati and development of Saraswati heritage. Further, the project envisages providing 61.88 hectare-metre water per annum for drinking and irrigation in Himachal Pradesh.

The MoU was signed in January between the Governments of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. As per the MoU, a Committee comprising senior officials from the two states have been constituted for planning, supervising and monitoring of the dam.

The MoU also stipulates that the funds for the project are to be arranged by the Government of Haryana.

On request of the Haryana government, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has taken up the consultancy work for design and drawings along with hydrological studies, including water availability, design flood and sedimentation studies of the project.