RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has asked the divisional administration to take necessary steps so the construction of Daducha Dam could be started in the upcoming fiscal year to end water shortage in Rawalpindi.

Divisional Commissioner retired Capt Saqib Zafar on Saturday visited the site where he was briefed by land revenue department officials about the area and main features of the dam. The commissioner asked the officials to carry out a new survey to ascertain numbers of people expected to be affected by the project.

According to sources, total cost of the project is Rs6.127 billion. The provincial government has allocated Rs3 billion for the construction of the dam and Rs3 billion for land acquisition. In 2018-19, the government had released Rs1.7 million to the irrigation department for the initial cost of the project. However, Rs2.5 billion were allocated for the project in the 2019-20 budget.

The dam will be built on upstream of Soan River. Rainwater from Murree and Kahuta hills will be stored in a lake at Daducha village near Sihala on Kahuta Road.

Three villages – Bhun, Launa and Bhaoni – will come under the dam. As many as 218 houses, seven industrial and commercial units and other areas will also be affected.

The commissioner said the government wanted to start the project as per directives of the Supreme Court at its original site to bring 25 million gallons daily (MGD) water to the city areas.

He asked the land revenue department to complete the survey of the area as soon as possible, adding that the government wanted to end water shortage in Rawalpindi.

The commissioner was informed that the district administration had imposed Section 4 of Land Acquisition Act 1894. More than 18,000 kanals will be acquired.

Officials of the district administration said assistant commissioners visited the site and stopped any new construction there.

The commissioner said though construction work would be initiated by the irrigation department, the district administration would acquire the land.

He said there were three main projects for Rawalpindi in the coming fiscal budget – Daducha Dam, Ring Road and Leh Nullah Expressway. Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) officials told Dawn that the civic agency was working on a plan to bring water from Daducha Dam as per the instruction of the Punjab government.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2019