RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has begun the installation of 18 tubewells along the Islamabad Expressway after being issued a non-objection certificate (NoC) from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

The project will cost Rs590 million. Under it, eight tubewells will be installed near the Islamabad Expressway which will supply water to 13 union councils (UC) in Potohar Town. The area falls under the constituency of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

The tubewells will supply water to UCs Shakrial South, Shakrial North, Khana Dak, Gangal, Dhoke Munshi, Chaklala, Kotha Kalan, Lakhan, Chak Jalal Din, Morgah, Dhoke Chaudrian, and more. The areas were chosen due to lack of underground water nearby.

Funds for the project had already been released by the provincial government, but work could not begin until the CDA had issued an NoC from Islamabad.

Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mehmood told Dawn that the project, which includes installation of new tubewells, overhead reservoirs, ground storage tanks and new water supply lines, was approved by the provincial government on the recommendations of the interior minister.

He said work on the project had begun, and that 18 tubewells were being sunk along the expressway. He added that, upon completion, the project will greatly improve water supply.

He added that three water reservoirs will be constructed.

“The overhead and underground water tanks will be able to store 50,000 to 100,000 gallons,” he said.

He said that the water supply system for 13 urban UCs in Potohar Town was handed over to Wasa, Rawalpindi, by the Punjab government a year ago.

Mehmood said that prior to the project, water supply for the 13 UCs was operated by local citizen community boards and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and that residents were faced with an acute shortage of drinkable water due to malfunctioning tubewells and percolation wells and damaged distribution lines.

He said that Wasa had taken steps to improve the situation, such as repairing existing wells, electric motors, transformers and water supply lines.

He added that water supply had improved, and the availability of drinkable water had increased from 80,000 gallons to 400,000 gallons.

Mehmood said Wasa had also set up four complaint centres in the region to facilitate the public and ensure swift handling of complaints.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2015

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