Two water projects approved for twin cities

Sources say four new sewage treatment plants will be installed at Rawal Dam

RAWALPINDI:

In order to ensure the supply of clean water in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, including the Cantt areas, two mega projects have been approved for the installation of four new water sewage treatment plants at Rawal Dam and the upgrade of the sewage system of the posh area of Satellite Town.

According to sources, the estimated cost of the installation of the sewage treatment plant is Rs5.24 billion while the project for upgrade of the Satellite Town sewerage system will cost Rs200 million.

These projects will be completed under the Punjab Government, Annual Development Programme and Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa). The Punjab government has released funds for these projects in the budget under the annual development programme.

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The water from all catchment areas of Rawal Dam will be made usable in these plants. The total catchment area of Rawal Dam is 20 square kilometres. The water in Rawal Dam comes from the hills of Margalla and Murree and due to lack of treatment, this water is getting polluted.

These four sewage treatment plants will be installed at different sites of the dam. Rawal Dam was built in 1960 and since then its catchment area has been continuously increasing. The Environment Protection Department also obtained samples from different areas of all the water falling in Rawal Dam, which have now been sent to the forensic science lab for quality testing.

The federal and Punjab governments have agreed to jointly initiate the projects to treat all water coming into the Rawal Dam. Filters will also be installed at various locations in the catchment areas of Rawal Dam while Wasa has approved a grant of Rs240 million to upgrade the old sewage system of the Satellite Town.

This amount has been provided by the caretaker Punjab government in the provincial interim budget of four months from November 1, 2023, to February 28, 2024.

Parking plaza projects

The Punjab government has yet to release funds, even after a three-year wait, for the construction of six approved parking plazas aimed at alleviating traffic congestion and addressing the scarcity of parking space in Rawalpindi.

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According to sources, the district administration has acquired valuable plots for five of the designated parking areas, but the persistent delay caused by the non-release of funds has led to escalating project costs.

Originally slated to commence in the financial year 2021-22, the multi-storied parking plazas were intended to implement a modern parking system accommodating even motorcycles. The government expected to generate billions in revenue from these plazas, which were strategically planned for locations such as Kacheri Chowk, Old GTS Bus Stand, Jinnah Road, Fifth Road Commercial Market, Fawara Chowk, and Bani Market.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2023.