Plan afoot to clear drains ahead of monsoon
PHOTO: FILE
Ahead of the monsoon season, city authorities have finalised a plan to clean the Nullah Leh, 13 seasonal drains, roadside channels, sewer lines, and neighbourhood drains.
A schedule has been issued, assigning duties to the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), the District Council, Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RCB), and Cantonment Boards.
Monitoring of the cleaning operations will be carried out regularly, and a third-party survey has also been approved.
Various heads of government departments have been appointed as circle in-charges for flood-prone areas, with focal persons designated as well. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb are expected to make surprise visits to inspect flood preparations.
An estimated Rs200 million has been allocated for the desilting campaign, with an immediate release request of Rs140 million.
Under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema, a detailed plan was laid out during a high-level meeting. According to the plan:
WASA will clean 11 km of the 22 km of Leh Nullah, along with 13 seasonal drains and all sewerage lines across the city.
The District Council will handle the seasonal drains flowing through rural areas.
Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) will be responsible for cleaning roadside drains and neighbourhood drains.
The Cantonment Boards of Rawalpindi and Chaklala will manage the remaining 11 km of Leh Nullah and drains within their jurisdictions.
Each of the four institutions — WASA, RWMC, Cantonment Boards, and District Council — will receive funding from the allocated Rs 200 million.
The deputy commissioner has banned the disposal of garbage and construction material into the drains and instructed local police to register FIRs against violators.
The flood season will run from June 15 to August 15, with a pre-monsoon phase starting from May 15 to June 14.
Cleaning contracts will be awarded to private firms through a tendering process, with preference given to bidders equipped with heavy desilting machinery.
Federal Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi told The Express Tribune that the Nullah Leh and seasonal drains have been causing destruction for the past six decades.
He said he would personally oversee cleaning operations this year, especially in narrow areas previously inaccessible to labour teams.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Water and Sanitation Authority (PWSA) Director-General, Tayyab Farid has directed all five WASAs to expedite their preparations for the monsoon season and complete all arrangements before May 15.
Cleaning of sewer lines and drains, repair of heavy machinery, timely installation of monsoon camps, as well as training exercises and identification of low-lying areas should be carried out expeditiously so that all arrangements were in place well before the pre-monsoon season which started on June 15, he added.
The PWSA DG was presiding over a meeting to review the performance of all Water and Sanitation Agencies (WASAs) and their preparations for the monsoon season.