RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has recently announced the expedited process of land acquisition for the Chahar Dam project with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank.
According to sources, the project, costing $117 million, will provide 12 million gallons of water per day to six densely populated union councils, including Lakhan, Girja-1, Girja-2, Chak Jalaldin, Mohri Ghazan, and Dhamyal.
The Punjab government has allocated Rs. 650 million for land acquisition, while the Asian Development Bank will fund the rest.
Under the fast-track policy, work on the Chahar Dam project is expected to start by the end of this year.
The project will also provide an additional five million gallons of water per day from the Rawal Dam Treatment Plant to Rawalpindi, increasing the city’s daily supply of water to 28 million gallons.
This will eliminate the need for WASA to operate its 80 to 90-tube wells, resulting in significant electricity cost savings.
Furthermore, the revised project plan also includes the construction of a water loop to provide a round-the-clock water supply to the Khayaban-e-Sir Syed area.
The Punjab government has issued formal guidelines to start work on the Chahar Dam project immediately, and the finance department has been instructed to begin the land acquisition process soon.
The Chahar Dam project, worth Rs. 5.3 billion, was approved in December 2018 to provide six million gallons of water per day from the Chahan Dam located near Chakri on River Sill Kus, 22 kilometers from Rawalpindi.
It is worth noting that the design of the dam has been modified to provide a full-pressure water supply to the targeted areas and prevent water theft.
Besides, the route of distribution lines has also been changed, and the site of the pumping station has been relocated closer to the dam to prevent water theft along the way.
The pipelines will supply water from underground and overhead tanks to the targeted union councils.
