Water project approved for Rawalpindi UCs

WASA okays mega project of hydrochlorination system for Rs40.3m

RAWALPINDI:

The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has approved a new water supply scheme for the provision of clean drinking water in seven union councils of the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) and a mega project of installing hypochlorination system to purify tube well water at a total cost of over Rs40.3 million.

According to sources, the funds for these projects have already been released and tenders will be opened on November 15 following which contacts will be awarded.

The new water supply scheme will be launched in water-deprived areas of UCs 42, 43, 44, 45, 75, 77 and 78. This project will be completed in a record time of two months only at a cost of more than Rs30.3 million.

These seven UCs are the most populous with a collective population of more than 0.3 million people. These settlements include Dhok Khaba, Dhok Elahi Bakhsh, Arya Mohalla, Chamanzar Colony, Tipu Road, Chaklala, Shukrial, Gangal and Dhok Munshi.

Meanwhile, the total cost of installation, operation and repair of the hypochlorination system in the tube wells of Wasa’s East Zone-I will be Rs3.1 million for East Zone-II, Rs3.7 million, and for West Zone-I, Rs3.4 million.

With the completion of these projects, an abundant water supply of clean drinking water will be ensured in Rawalpindi.

The projects will resolve Rawalpindi’s longstanding water shortage problem. The various parts of the garrison city are facing acute water shortages as the groundwater level has plummeted, they said, adding that the water shortage has increased manifold in the recent past amidst rising temperatures.

Experts have warned that Pakistan is on the brink of becoming a water-scarce nation due to aggravating temperature rise and climate change which demanded improved water pricing and governance to avert the looming threat of shortage.

The groundwater level has decreased by around 750 feet while several tube wells have dried up because of fewer rains.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2023.