RAWALPINDI, May 12: About 70 per cent residential areas under the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) have no planned sewerage system, a survey conducted by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has revealed.

The survey was carried out before the start of the second stage of the three-phase Rawalpindi environment improvement project, which will be executed between July and November, official sources told Dawn on Monday.

The areas without sewerage system included Raja Bazaar and the adjacent areas, Chaman Zar and Muhalla Hukam Dad along with a majority of the areas on either side of Nulla Leh.

The sources said since the government had failed to set up a planned sewerage system in these areas since independence, people themselves built sewage lines on a self-help basis or through local councillors. But these “little bits” failed during rainy seasons besides posing threats to environment and citizens’ health.

After the launch of the Nulla Leh development project, the waste of these areas had been stopped from dropping into the Leh, due to which the liquid gushed back into houses during rains.

According to the survey report, only 30 per cent of the city areas, including Satellite Town, Afendi Colony, Muslim Colony, Asghar Mall, Khayaban-i-Sir Syed and a few localities near Faizabad and Glass Factory area, have sewerage system which too needed improvement as the residents have been facing sewerage- related problems for long.

The second phase of the programme has been divided into two parts with the basic goals of improving drainage and waste disposal systems and protecting environment with the participation of the community.

For this purpose, a steering committee has been formed which would be presided over by secretary housing, urban development and public engineering department with TMA head and director-general of the Rawalpindi Development Authority as its vice-chairmen.

Representatives of the TMA, Wasa, key project management unit staff of phase-1 project, Capital Development Authority and subdivisional officers would be members of the committee.

The committee would ensure participation of communities, including representatives of local government and some elders from various areas, in order to point out their specific issues with proposed solutions.

It would also present community-wise reports and prepare an ultimate proposal for solving drainage and waste disposal issues of various communities.

The objective of the community-based study was to gauge the severity of the problems faced by different communities.

According to another official source, the establishment of well-planned sewerage and garbage disposal and dumping systems in the city of 0.85 million people was a challenge for the authorities who had been receiving fresh grants for implementing the programme in phases.

He said educating the masses about the positive outcome of following proper waste disposal rules was an uphill task.

He welcomed the idea to establish waste treatment plants in various parts of the city, including Liaqat Bagh, Sawan, etc. But questioned whether the goals could be achieved without participation of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board.