PHA gets Rs50m for rainwater harvesting project

Official says stored water will be used to water plants in parks, green belts

RAWALPINDI:

The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) has received Rs50 million under the rainwater harvesting project to cope with the severe water shortage in parks of Rawalpindi.

In the future, the authority will only plant only those saplings which are grown in its nurseries to save expenditures on its purchase and attract local birds.

According to PHA officials, imported plants do not create a positive impact on the environment and local birds avoid sitting on them.

The availability of water for Allama Iqbal Park, Rawal Road Park, Liaquat Park, Pothohar Park and 45 community parks in Rawalpindi was incurring a huge expense on the PHA, they added. The Punjab government has approved a grant worth Rs50 million for the rainwater harvesting project under which 10 spots will store rainwater in underground water tanks.

The stored water will be used to water plants in 49 parks, green belts and newly planted Miyawaki forest in the future.

PHA Director General Zaheer Anwar Jappa said all parks of Rawalpindi are being uplifted. A ban has been placed on purchasing saplings from outside despite PHA having its own nurseries, he added.

He said the nurseries will provide saplings for the parks in Rawalpindi while they would also be distributed for free to the citizens. The authority planted 300 saplings which have grown to become almost trees after proper care, he added.

The PHA director-general said they wanted the inflow of people in the parks as it could help in defeating various diseases and reduce the number of visitors to the hospitals.

The official said they were paying special attention to the 10km long greenbelt in the median of Murree Road. He added that free paintwork on 297 pillars of metro bus stations from Saddar to Faizabad is underway.

He said there was no site available in Rawalpindi for the establishment of new public parks after which they would focus on preparing green areas in educational institutions of the garrison city.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2021.