CDA plans wetlands for treating contaminated water

Water from nullahs will be diverted to tanks and after filtration will be released back

ISLAMABAD: Construction of three wetlands is in progress which would be completed within next few weeks. Wetlands are being constructed to treat the contaminated water before it entrance to Rawal Dam.

This initiative is being supervised and financed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) while executed by the Sanitation Directorate of MCI.

Under this project, three wetlands at Muslim Colony Bari Imam , Banigala and Bari Imam Shahan are being constructed.

The purpose of this project is to treat the contaminated water before its entrance in Rawal dam.

Under constructed wetland treatment, contaminated water of nullahs would be diverted to specially designed tanks for sewerage treatment.

At this stage sediment would be carried out in the tanks and the 90% water decontamination would be done at this stage.

After treatment in the tank water would be again released in the nullahs. After the tanks special plants, the soil would be implanted on the way which will further purify the water before it entered in the dam. In order to control seepage of contaminated water from the tanks, special plastic membrane has been laid at the bottom of the tanks.

In this connection, work on the wetland being constructed in the Muslim Colony has been completed except construction of the wall which has not yet been started due to rain spells.

It is expected that wetland at Muslim Colony will be functional within a couple of weeks. Similarly, wetland being constructed in the Banigala will also start functioning within the same period.

However, due to heavy water flow in the nullah at Shahaan Bari Imam, work on the retaining wall will be started after rain spells which is also likely to be completed within few weeks.

In a similar move to explore alternates to waste disposal, biogas plant is also to be et up for waste from Sabzi Mandi at the STP area by market committee. It is pertinent to mention here that in order to cater water contamination in Rawal Dam CDA earlier allocated land for construction of wetlands which was subsequently handed over to MCI for construction of Wetlands to treat the water coming from seasonal nullahs.

CDA has reiterated that Authority will continue its support and role in every initiative aimed at public welfare.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2019.