RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has begun dredging Leh Nullah. The process will cost Rs15 million and will be completed before monsoon begins.

A senior Wasa official told Dawn that the provincial government has released funding to dredge the nullah. Work began from Gawalmandi Bridge, and will move towards Katarian, near I.J. Principal Road.

A survey was carried out before dredging began to identify obstructions to the flow of water in the nullah.

Rs15m process to be completed before monsoon

The official said the most vulnerable areas are Gawalmandi, Ratta Amral, Dhoke Naju and Katarian.

He said the nullah will be cleaned from Katarian to Moti Mehal Cinema, with particular attention being paid to the aforementioned sites.

The district administration has been asked to ban the dumping of solid waste on the banks of the nullah, he added.

Dredging will be completed by June end to avoid flooding. The official said Wasa asked the provincial government to release funding last month.

However, he said the agency will not be responsible for cleaning 11 small and big drains in the city, which is the responsibility of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC).

It is necessary to clean these, he said, and the RWMC has to begin the process so rainwater can be discharged into the nullah without any obstacles during the upcoming monsoon.

More than 100 cusecs of sewerage are discharged into Leh Nulalh from Islamabad everyday via Katarian, he said. The Islamabad administration should take steps to discharge treated water or else it will choke the nullah during heavy rain.

Nullah Leh is about 30 kilometres long, stretching from the capital to Rawalpindi. It discharges into the Soan River, near the Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court.

Flooding in July 2001 in Rawalpindi cost residents millions of rupees.

During the monsoon, low-lying areas such as Khayaban-i-Sir Syed, Bangish Colony, Dhok Ratta, Mohanpura, Amarpura, Arya Mohallah, Dhok Mantkal, Javed Colony, Chamanzar Colony and Akal Garh are flooded by sewerage from Leh Nulllah every year.

Another Wasa official said that heavy rainfall in the twin cities would bring the water level in Leh Nullah to 22 feet, which is dangerously high.

He added that the nullah is full of hundreds of thousands of polythene bags that obstruct water.

He said the sanitation workers from the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board and local residents dump garbage and construction material into the nullah every day because of poor management on the part of the concerned authorities.

When contacted, Rawalpindi Development Authority Chairman Arif Abbasi said Wasa has been directed to clean the nullah before the monsoon to avoid a flood-like situation.

He said the district administration has banned the dumping of construction waste and garbage in Leh Nullah, but the ban needs to be implemented effectively.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2019