Daducha Dam's final stretch faces hurdles

Disputes continue to threaten timely delivery of the long-awaited project

RAWALPINDI:

The timely completion of the Daducha Dam project has assumed greater importance amid the growing water shortage in Rawalpindi.

The project has remained delayed despite 24 years having passed, but officials say construction work is now 92 per cent complete.

Construction began in September 2024, and a deadline of Dec 31, 2026, has been set for completion.

However, work on the transmission line, treatment plant, filtration plant and distribution network has yet to begin.

Rawalpindi Commissioner Salman Ghani visited the dam and directed the authorities to complete the remaining work within the stipulated timeframe.

Rawalpindi faces a daily water shortage of 21 million gallons, with demand standing at 72 million gallons per day against a supply of just 51 million gallons.

The Daducha Dam project is designed to supply 35 million gallons of water daily.

Of this, 15 million gallons will be provided to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), while a formula for distributing the remaining 20 million gallons between the cantonment board and a private housing society has yet to be finalised.

Progress on the treatment plant, filtration plant and supply network will be possible once the water distribution issue is resolved.

These components are estimated to cost a total of Rs36 billion.

The project's initial estimated cost was Rs6.49 billion, which has since increased to approximately Rs15 billion. Political changes, land disputes and court proceedings have contributed to the delays.

The dam will have a water storage capacity of 60,000 acre-feet. It will stand 123 feet high and extend 737 feet in length. According to officials, work on stone pitching, the spillway, retaining wall, bridge and other construction components is under way.

However, completion of the dam alone will not ensure water supply, as the treatment plant and transmission line must also be completed.