New Islamabad airport: Without water for miles, CAA looks to the skies

Plans afoot to build rainwater reservoir for airport; construction firms already using rainwater harvesting at site

ISLAMABAD:

With the revised completion deadline for the new Islamabad International Airport fast approaching, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has finally identified a feasible site for a water resource for the facility.

The site of the new airport near Fateh Jang is almost barren, with no underground water available. Construction firms working on the site have already been using small scale rainwater harvesting to meet their work requirements. Due to this, it was decided to construct a rainwater dam to cater to the need for water at the under construction facility.



ILLUSTRATION: AAMIR KHAN

Ramma Dam has been identified as the most feasible of three proposed rainwater reservoir sites surveyed in the vicinity of the airport. The site meet the requirement for supply of at least two million gallons per day to the new airport, says a feasibility study carried out by consultant firm AAB with technical support from the CAA and the Punjab Small Dams Organization (PSDO).

Detailed surveys and feasibility studies for three proposed sites — Ramma, Kasana Dam and Rashida Dam, were started in April 2014.

The study favours Ramma due to technical advantages in terms of minimum fetch length (220-foot), maximum rainwater catchment area (14 sq. km.), maximum pond area (2.6 sq. km.), negligible disturbance to the local population, and low operational cost and security risks.

The hydrology of the Ramma site states that estimated average annual runoff in the area is 4,552 acre feet with mean annual rainfall 34 inches, while average annual lake evaporation stands at 30 inches with a sedimentation rate 1.5 acre ft/mile/year.

Gross storage of the reservoir would be 4,893 acre feet with live storage of 4,473 acre feet, while dead storage will be 420 acre feet.

Estimated cost

The estimated project cost was worked out at Rs756.7 million, with operational and maintenance costs of Rs67.4 million per annum. The project life is estimated at 50 years.

“Feasibility, geological, and design reports of the project have been completed, while tender documents and prequalification of contractors have also been finalised,” said Brig Pervaiz Nayyat Niazi, the NIIA project director.

The feasibility report suggests that construction of the dam should have started no later than December 2014 to begin harvesting rainwater during the 2015 monsoon.



Punjab government refuses to fund project

Initially, the Punjab Small Dams Organisation (PSDO) had pledged to provide water to the airport from Shahpur Dam, which is in the same area.

In 2008, the Punjab government also signed an agreement with the CAA for the provision of two million gallons of water per day to the new airport from Shahpur Dam.

Later, PSDO changing its stance, terming the idea unworkable due to technical constraints and low water availability in the dam.

This forced the CAA to explore new water sources for the airport.

“The CAA is responsible for funding the Rs81 billion [new airport] project, but two components — provision of water and construction of new access roads to the airport — are the responsibility of the Punjab government and the federal government, respectively,” Brig Niazi said.

Niazi said the construction of the reservoir had not started yet as the Punjab government had refused to fund the project.

“After refusing to supply water from Shahpur Dam, the Punjab government assured that they would bear the cost of construction of a new water reservoir, but now they have refused,” Niazi added.

He said Shujat Azim, special adviser to the prime minister on aviation, also met with the Prime Minister recently to discuss the issue.

“The concerns of CAA were conveyed to the Punjab CM In response, he said the Punjab government could provide technical support, but not funds,” Niazi informed, saying that due to past assurances from the Punjab government, the CAA had not allocated a single penny for the dam in the revised PC-I for the airport.

He said CAA had already notified land acquisition from locals at the proposed reservoir site but did not have the money on hand to take possession.

The new airport is located at Pind Ranjah near Fateh Jang, some 25km from Zero Point in Islamabad. The CAA has already spent Rs40 billion on the project, while the revised completion deadline for the Rs81 billion project is October 30, 2016.

Sources said that the CAA, the controlling authority of the new airport, would not be able to meet the revised deadline, and that costs would continue to escalate.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2015.