Projects worth Rs40b initiated in Rawalpindi

Officials say ADB providing financial assistance for crucial schemes

RAWALPINDI:

Work on several uplift projects worth Rs40 billion has started with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in the Rawalpindi division.

According official sources said, a project has been initiated to ensure uninterrupted water supply to all six union councils of Khayaban-e-Sir Syed in the garrison city, which have been declared model UCs.

As part of this venture, the enhancement of water supply from Khanpur Dam has commenced at the Sangjani Water Treatment Plant junction, facilitating direct distribution to all Khayaban-e-Sir Syed Union Councils.

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The supply of water is anticipated to commence in February of the upcoming year. Sources further said this project is set to improve water supply significantly. Another major ADB-supported project is in progress, involving the installation of a new water supply pipeline from Rawal Dam to Rawalpindi city. Under the project, aging cement pipeline from the 1960s will be replaced with a modern, smaller-diameter steel pipeline, providing an additional five million gallons of water per day to Rawalpindi.

A third crucial initiative involves the establishment of a substantial water pipeline from Chahan Dam to the city, accompanied by the construction of a 200,000-gallon underwater storage tank and a new water treatment plant.

The ADB Country Director has inspected the project sites, and work on all three projects is scheduled to commence by the end of December or the beginning of January.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2023.