BAHAWALPUR: Punjab highways barrages division, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has started mega rehabilitation project work at the Panjnad Headworks for the first time since its construction in 1929.

Dawn has learnt that the rehabilitation work that will cost around Rs4.5 billion (funded by ADB) would complete in three years. The highway bridge over the headworks will remain close for about two years.

Panjnad Headworks Executive Engineer Samar Abbas told Dawn that the structure had gone dilapidated and had to be closed and now its restoration work had been started.

He said under the project, three new spillways would be built at the headworks, besides construction of an alternative road for the vehicular traffic.

Three new spillways to be added to structure

Barrages Director (Technical) Raza Abbasi told Dawn by mobile phone that such major project had never been carried out since the headworks’s construction. He claimed that the headworks even during its construction in 1929, was damaged because of the heavy floods. It again suffered damage because of the floods in 1974, he added.

He said after the completion of the project, the discharge from the headworks would be increased from 0.7 million cusecs to 0.860m cusecs although. The project would also extend the life of the headworks, he added.

Mr Abbasi said the project also included the repairs of the nearby Abbasia Link Canal in which the water discharge would also be increased from the present 5,200 cusecs to 6,700 cusecs.

Punjab government had been negotiating the project with the ADB for funding for several years that delayed the rehabilitation and improvement of the headworks and the highway bridge that was also in bad condition.

The closure of the bridge for heavy traffic had been causing inconvenience to commuters and traders waiting for their consignments.

During the recent closure of the bridge the highways department had diverted the vehicular traffic toward Jalapur Peerwala–Uch Sharif bridge over the River Sutlej.

Official sources said that the Punjab government had also planned a tourist resort at the site of the headworks for which Punjab chief minister approved around Rs10 million funds.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2018