Daducha Dam yet to see the light of day

Punjab govt misses another deadline to complete work on reservoir

RAWALPINDI:

Despite the allocation of funds, the Punjab government has failed to complete work on the Daducha Dam even after 22 years.

The Punjab government had given December 2021 the deadline to complete work on the project, but it failed to even start work on the dam even after 22 years.

According to a feasibility report prepared by the Small Dams Organisation, Dadhocha Dam was to be constructed on the Ling River on 18,566 kanals at a cost of over Rs7 billion. The water reservoir is considered a long-term replacement for Rawal Dam, which was built in 1962 and was designed to last for 50 years. The dam is considered a necessity by the Punjab government because Rawal Dam has been tapped out. A Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) official said Daducha Dam will be able to supply 35 million gallons daily (MGD) to Rawalpindi city and its cantonment areas, and serve as a reliable source of drinking water for the next 50 years.

The area where the dam is being built is part of the Kahuta, Kallar Syedan and Rawalpindi tehsils of the Rawalpindi district.

Due to the continuous delay in the construction of the dam, the issue of drinking and agricultural water shortage in Rawalpindi may further exacerbate in the coming months.

A senior officer of the district administration, on the condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that work on the dam was constantly delayed due to one or the other reason.

He said that the construction of the dam was resumed in 2021, which was halted after the Ring Road scandal. The officer said that with the transfer of former commissioner, Mohammad Mehmood, the correspondence between the dam construction company and the district administration has come to a standstill and no work was going-on on the project.

The dam is being constructed in Dadoch village, which is 24 kilometres from Rawalpindi city.

The officer said that the construction of Daducha Dam was all the more necessary because the Rawal Dam has completed its 50-year lifespan, while the water supply from Khanpur Dam has been reduced by 30 per cent.

The officer said that the groundwater table in Rawalpindi has tumbled 600 feet deep. “It is increasingly becoming difficult to meet the water needs of the garrison city with a population of 1.3 million under the current water supply regime,” he said.

He said that as water usage is increasing in Rawalpindi, work on the Daducha Dam should be resumed on an emergency basis, otherwise, the water crisis in the garrison city will become severe.

In 2021, the Punjab Irrigation Department submitted a report to the Supreme Court regarding the construction of the Daducha Dam.

According to the report, because of various difficulties, including land acquisition, litigation and the nature of construction, the construction of the dam has not yet been started. However, it said, because of the delay in construction, any kind of construction near the dam has been banned, and notices have been issued to the owners of the surrounding lands.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2023.