The Leh Expressway will have check dams to hold Nullah Leh water so as to improve the groundwater level, said Rawalpindi Commissioner Muhammad Mehmood.
“Project developers are working on check dams along Leh Expressway to raise the underground water level,” he said addressing a review meeting on the planned thoroughfare on Sunday.
Mehmood told the participants that all aspects of the recommendations regarding check dams were under consideration under the supervision of experts.
The officer added that it was important to cope with urban flooding issues in Nullah Leh. The expressway, besides providing signal free route to traffic in Rawalpindi, will also help control urban flooding.
Mehmood expressed that people continue to throw trash and garbage in the natural nullahs, including the Leh, which impedes water flow and could cause urban flooding. He said that while civic agencies were cleaning the natural water channels, people too should stop dumping garbage there.
Expressing concerns on depleting underground water resources in Rawalpindi, the commissioner urged proper planning in this regard.
He expressed that the water table could not be maintained despite heavy rainfalls due to the growing population. However, the issue could be coped up with the check dam initiative, he suggested.
Mehmood was of the view that the final decision in this regard would be taken after taking cost and other factors into consideration.
He told a flooding channel along Leh Expressway was already part of the Leh Expressway project while construction of check dams could supplement its usage.
The commissioner directed the related officials to review all possibilities on experts’ recommendations regarding check dams. Punjab government plans to spend Rs85 billion on Leh Expressway, which would have four interchanges, as well as special plants to separate rainwater from sewage.
Commissioner Mehmood has directed Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) to conduct complete survey of the land required for the Leh Expressway project and also estimate the government land coming under the project separately.
The project would play an important role in reducing traffic congestion in the twin cities, Rawalpindi and Islamabad and also significantly minimize environmental pollution.
He said that the areas near Leh Expressway would be economically strong as new business opportunities would be created there in line with the modern requirements of the city.
He said that the projects like Leh Expressway and Ring Road would significantly improve the urban life in the twin cities. The government has decided to extend Leh Expressway from IJP Principal Road to Srinagar Highway and to start it under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
The project holder Chinese Civil Engineer Construction Company (CCECC) had given this recommendation which has been approved.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2020.
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