RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Intermediate Improvement Cities Project of the Asian Development Bank has authorized a grant of $110 million for 4 projects relating to long-term water supply in Rawalpindi city 6 densely populated union council.
The said grant was authorized under Phase II by experts from the Punjab government and the ADB.
Under the direction of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), the project upon completion would have 52 million more gallons of water per day for Rawalpindi city and 6 surrounding union councils.
According to the details, the grants for water supply projects in Sialkot and Sahiwal under Phase-I of the project have already been granted by the ADB.
Furthermore, the Chahan Dam water supply project will now be able to supply 12 million gallons of water per day, which will be distributed to union councils, including Lakhan, Garja 1, Garja 2, Chak Jalal Din, Mohri Ghazan, and Dhamiyal.
Additionally, in the 2nd project, a new line will be built from the Rawal Dam Treatment Plant to Rawalpindi, allowing for an increase in daily water supply from the Rawal Dam to the garrison city of 6 million gallons to 28 million gallons, saving WASA energy by eliminating the need to run its own 80 to 90 tube wells.
In the 3rd project, a water loop will be built in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed and water from the Rawal Dam, in addition to the water already coming from the tube wells, will be distributed through a mechanism for all the sectors of Khayaban-e-Sir Syed.
Besides, the research on the Dadocha and the project to deliver 35 million gallons of water will be finished under the 4th project.
Experts claim that the planning carried out by the ADB with the help of this essential grant would put an end to the dire water supply issues in the union councils that border Rawalpindi city.
The water supply network in Rawalpindi is currently overloaded and the regular share of WASA is not being paid from the commercialization fee received from these institutions.
It is to note here that the water supply network of WASA is under stress as a result of the rising demand for water brought on by the commercialization of large-scale plots and residential structures and a lack of proper planning.
The citizens are also facing a challenging situation due to the widening gap between water demand and supply and the unavailability of the water supply, said the sources.
