RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) will start desilting of Nullah Leh from next week at a cost of Rs20 million.

Wasa Managing Director Shaukat Mehmood told Dawn that the agency had completed the homework to clean the nullah to avoid flooding in the city during the monsoon.

He said the Punjab government had released the funds and the work was likely to complete by the end of June.

He said the desilting would be launched in two phases. “In the first phase, Wasa will clear garbage under the bridges and in the second phase the construction waste dumped along the nullah will be cleared from I.J. Principal Road to Moti Mahal bridge on Murree Road,” he said.

The desilting will include clearing of all vulnerable points starting from Katarian bridge to Moti Mahal bridge and removal of garbage from both banks of the nullah.

He said Wasa would hire 10 heavy machineries, including excavators, front-end loader and dump trolleys, to complete the activity.

The same exercise was carried out last year which ensured the smooth flow of rainwater in the nullah and protected the adjoining areas from flooding during monsoon season.

He said there was a need to create awareness among the citizens not to dump garbage and construction material into the nullah.

“Islamabad’s garbage and construction material waste also end up in the garrison city from Kattarian bridge as the civic body of the federal capital does not clear their nullahs entering Rawalpindi,” he said.

A senior official of Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) said encroachments along Leh Nullah had increased due to the indifferent attitude of the RMC.

Pirwadhai, Hazara Colony and Fauji Colony have seen an increase in the construction of unauthorised houses on the banks of Nullah Leh reducing its width, he added.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2018