Major water schemes sanctioned for Pindi

Projects aim to modernise pipelines and ensure clean drinking water

RAWALPINDI:

The Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) has sanctioned development projects amounting to Rs17.9 billion for water supply and sewerage infrastructure across Rawalpindi, encompassing areas under the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) as well as the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Boards.

The approval was granted at a meeting of the PDWP held in Lahore on November 7, presided over by the Secretary of Planning and Development (P&D), Punjab. Among the approved initiatives is a Rs11 billion scheme to lay a comprehensive sewerage network in WASA-controlled areas presently without such facilities. The project aims to establish a modern underground sewerage system to improve environmental safeguards and enhance the quality of urban life.

A further Rs3.6 billion has been allocated for the complete replacement of the ageing water supply infrastructure connecting Khanpur Dam and Rawal Dam with Rawalpindi. The scheme involves the installation of a new distribution network, including the renewal of both main and subsidiary pipelines.

Additionally, a separate project will be launched to construct a water supply system across Union Councils (UCs) 76 to 80 within Provincial Constituency PP-13. Another Rs3.3b has been earmarked for the upgrading of the sewerage system within the Rawalpindi and Chaklala Cantonment Board jurisdictions, addressing the dilapidated and outdated infrastructure currently posing serious challenges for residents.