Pindi’s water overhaul gets ADB boost
The meeting was convened by the neutral expert appointed on India's request under the aegis of the Indus Waters Treaty. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) in collaboration with the Punjab Local Government and Community Development (LG&CD) department has kicked off the process of international bidding to award the contract for the ‘Developing Resilient Environment and Advancing Municipal Services’ (Dreams) project to be financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) with Rs35 billion cost.
The projects of Chahan Dam, laying of a new pipeline inside the old water pipeline from Rawal Dam Lake to Syedpur, Rawalpindi and round-the-clock water supply to Khayaban-e-Sir Syed will be completed under the Dreams initiative.
The Chahan Dam project will provide 12 million gallons of water per day, while a new water pipeline to bring water from the Rawal Dam Lake will overcome the current leakages of the huge amount of water from the old pipeline. A 24-hour water supply project has also been planned for the Khayaban-e-Sir Syed area, for which the water coming from Khanpur Dam will be used.
The caretaker federal government and the Punjab government have completed negotiations with the ADB for funding the project. Both sides will sign an accord for the availability of funds soon.
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The LG&CD department has set up a Project Management Unit (PMU), while the project will be executed by Wasa. The contract of the project will be awarded after the completion of international bidding. The project will help resolve the burning issue of non-supply of water to Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, water experts have raised the alarm over depleting levels of groundwater. They said tube wells that were currently pumping water with struggle as the water levels deplete further. It would also become expensive due to rising electricity tariffs. Moreover, the continuously decreasing water table has made supplying water from underground sources an expensive exercise for the government.
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Background
Rawalpindi’s daily water requirements stand at 68 million gallons, while the current supply from tube wells at Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam only amounts to 51 million gallons.
Consequently, the city faces a daily water deficit of 17 million gallons.
To address this shortfall, WASA will secure an additional five million gallons of water daily by installing a 10-kilometre steel pipeline from Rawal Dam to Rawalpindi, replacing the old and deteriorated cemented pipeline. Simultaneously, the Chahan Dam project was expected to provide 12 million gallons of water per day.
Together, these measures will cover the daily water deficit of 17 million gallons.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2024.