RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has requested the Punjab government to provide Rs. 60 million for the cleaning of 11 major nullahs in Rawalpindi before the upcoming monsoon season.
WASA has suggested two options to the government, either to provide the funds via a supplementary grant to complete the de-silting activities of all tributaries, or for the district administration to contract Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) and Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) for the job.
The Leh Nullah Basin, with a catchment area of 239.8 kilometers, has six major tributaries, three of which originate from the foothills of Islamabad and flow down through Rawalpindi where they join the Leh Nullah.
Floods in the Leh Nullah Basin normally occur during the monsoon season (July to September) when Islamabad receives rainfall from three types of weather systems.
WASA has also highlighted the lack of staff and mechanical resources in carrying out the de-silting work. In addition, WASA has to pay back a previous loan of Rs. 34.9 million to Metropolitan Corporation, Rawalpindi.
