Dredging of drains before monsoon ordered

WASA says funds already released for de-silting of nullahs

RAWALPINDI:

Officials of the Rawalpindi Water and Sanitation Agency have been directed to complete dredging and de-silting of the garrison city's rain drains including Nullah Leh before the start of monsoon rains.

A spokesperson for WASA told on Sunday that Punjab Caretaker Minister for Housing and Urban Development Syed Azfar Ali Nasir during a visit reviewed the preparations of WASA for monsoon and inspected the dredging and de-silting of Nullah Leh at Gwalmandi Bridge.

The spokesperson informed that the Agency, on the directives of Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha and WASA MD Muhammad Tanveer, had completed all the preparations for monsoon. The Punjab government had released funds for cleaning Nullah Leh and 11 other nullahs of the city, he said adding that the dredging and de-silting work of Nullah Leh from the Katarian Bridge to Murree Road would be completed by June 30.

The tender process to award the contract to clean other Nullahs of the city was under way and dredging of main drains would be started soon which would be completed before monson rains, he said. The cleaning work of sewerage lines using winch machines is also under completion, he said adding that during monsoon rains emergency is enforced under which leaves of all the field staff are canceled and the staff remains present in the field round-the-clock.

Five flood response units would be set up in the city at Liaquat Bagh, Moti Mahal, Commercial Market, Bagh Sardaran and Khayaban-e-Sir Syed where heavy machinery and field staff would remain present to give quick response in case of flooding in any area, he added.

The WASA has heavy machinery including jetting and sucker machines, de-watering sets, winch machines and water bowsers, he said. He informed that the minister had directed the authorities concerned to accelerate dredging and de-silting work of all nullahs and solid waste and garbage being removed from the nullahs should be dumped out of the city.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2023.