Water project gets fresh start

Re-tendering begins for key contracts of ADB-funded scheme

RAWALPINDI:

The process to re-award contracts for two lots of the Dream Water Supply Project in Rawalpindi—funded through a loan by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)—has commenced.

The contracts, estimated at Rs20.4 billion, will be tendered on April 29. Upon completion, the project is expected to supply an additional 12 million gallons of water per day to the city from the Chahan Dam. The project is scheduled for completion by December 2027.

The earlier awarded contracts for the said project were annulled following intervention by the Chief Minister's Inspection Team, citing lack of transparency and violations of procurement rules. Subsequently, the Dream Project Steering Committee also endorsed the cancellation.

After the issuance of a No Objection Letter by the ADB, the re-tendering process has now been initiated under the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and the Project Management Unit.

Upon completion, the project will ensure the supply of an additional 12 million gallons per day to six densely populated union councils, including areas along Adiala Road, where acute water shortages currently persist. The supply will be facilitated through a new distribution network connected to Chahan Dam.

Meanwhile, under Lots 1 and 4 of the Dream Project, an additional 5 million gallons per day sourced from the Rawal Dam and the Khanpur Dam will be supplied round-the-clock to all sectors of Khayaban-e-Sir Syed. Work on these contracts—awarded at a cost of Rs13.55b—has been ongoing for the past year.

It is pertinent to note that irregularities and breaches of procurement rules in the award of contracts for Lots 2 and 3 led to the removal of Project Director Hamza Salik and Deputy Project Director Zeeshan Gondal. They have since been replaced by Umar Javed as Project Director and Sohail Sandhu as Deputy Project Director.

The newly appointed Managing Director of WASA Rawalpindi, Azizullah Khan, is currently overseeing both the ongoing works and the re-awarding of the two lots.