Tube well project gets CDA's nod

Under the restored NOC, half of 1.5m gallons will be supplied to capital localities

ISLAMABAD:

The dispute between the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) over a project to install 15 tube wells from Faizabad to Koral Chowk on Islamabad Expressway and supply water to citizens of Rawalpindi has ended after two months and 10 days.

The CDA has restored the cancelled NOC for the 15 tube wells.

The dispute between the two institutions was resolved following a discussion between the Rawalpindi commissioner and CDA chairman.

WASA will remain bound to fully comply with the conditions of the NOC. Fifty per cent of the water from the tube wells will have to be supplied to adjoining localities of Islamabad, while 50pc will be supplied to four union councils of Rawalpindi.

According to details, WASA had launched a project costing Rs1.3 billion to install 15 tube wells along the said route and supply water to four union councils of Rawalpindi, including Gulzar-i-Quaid, Fazal Town, Shah Faisal Town, Dhok Munshi and other adjoining areas.

For the project, an NOC was formally obtained from the CDA after paying a fee of Rs5.2 million. Under the NOC, the project was to be completed within one year and was expected to provide 1.5 million gallons of water daily.

The NOC issued by the CDA was cancelled on June 17, 2026, on the grounds that functioning of the said tube wells would create a water shortage in adjoining CDA localities and that WASA had violated the conditions of the CDA's NOC regarding three of the 15 tube wells installed.

The conditions included in the NOC issued by the CDA stated that 50pc of the water from the said tube wells would be supplied to Islamabad citizens by connecting it to the existing water supply network of the ICT area.

If the CDA's already installed tube wells were affected by these tube wells, WASA would be bound to restore them.

The sites for the 15 tube wells would be jointly determined by the CDA and WASA, and if in future the CDA required the locations where the tube wells had been installed, the tube wells would have to be removed.

The 15 tube wells would be monitored by the CDA, ICT and WASA, while WASA would be bound to strictly comply with all conditions of the NOC.

The notification for restoration of the NOC was issued by the Director General, IWCD, with the approval of the CDA member planning and development.

The NOC was restored after two months and 10 days following a discussion between the Rawalpindi commissioner and CDA chairman.

WASA will now be bound to install 12 more tube wells at the designated sites after the three tube wells already completed, with their work to be completed within the stipulated period of one year.