RAWALPINDI, Dec 29: The Punjab planning and development department on Saturday approved Rs800 million Leh project to save the city from any future devastation, highly placed sources told Dawn.

Punjab Governor Lt-Gen (Rtd) Khalid Maqbool will perform the ground-breaking ceremony of the project in mid-January.

The district government has already completed the pre- qualification of the contract and is likely to float tenders for the project next week.

Slight modifications have been made in the original plan approved by the district government and now instead of two bridges — one each at Dhoke Dalal and Dhoke Chiraghdin — a third one at Gawalmandi has also been included in the project.

Other works, to be carried out under the project, include widening, desilting, dredging, stone pitching, construction of wall along the drain course and channelization of Leh.

The project is being financed by Asian Development Bank while the provincial government will provide additional funding for land acquisition.

The design has a 100 years return period and would also be having cushion to cater to the future expansion and development works.

It has been decided that there would be minimum dislocation of the local population as a result of the project.

The parameters considered while deciding the project were the peak flows during 1997 floods which was recorded at about 40,000 cusec feet.

The officials said this year’s July 21 flash-floods were due to cloudbursts and it’s beyond human ability to control such calamities.

Towards the tail-end, the drain would have a width of around 70 meters and discharge capacity of 36,000 cusec feet plus 1 meter free board which means an additional capacity of 5,000 cusecs outflow.

The drain widening would be carried out from IJ Principal Road to Swan Camp and its width along its course would be adjusted according to its tail-end width of 70 metre.

Mohammad Yasin adds: Meanwhile, the director, Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project said that the Pirwadhai bridge was washed away in July floods, while the bridge at Dhoke Chiraghdin needed to be widened to meet requirements of the expanding population of the city.

After the approval of the two projects, the RDA administration has given a go-ahead to the contractors for their construction.

The reconstruction of Pirwadhai bridge will cost Rs31.2 million, while the estimated cost of Dhoke Chiraghdin bridge is Rs18.8 million.

The bridges will be constructed within eight months.