RAWALPINDI, April 25: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has decided to include the feasibility studies of Chirah and Daducha dam projects in the Rawalpindi Environmental Improvement Project (REIP) , however, it has refused to accept the studies already conducted by the Small Dams Organization (SDO) in this regard, Dawn has learnt.

Sources said the bank would accept or reject the request of the housing and urban development and public health engineering department (HUD&PHED), Government of Punjab, for financing the project (s) after conducting a feasibility study of both the projects through its own consultants.

The agency had recently demanded of the HUD&PHED to press the ADB for financing the Chirah Dam during the REIP in a bid to meet the burgeoning water demand of the consumers. It had also asked the HUD&PHED that the SDO had already prepared PC-1 of Daducha Dam and had also conducted a survey for the Chirah Dam project.

Therefore, the ADB should take help from the findings of the SDO and complete the cost estimation of the Chirah Dam project, acquire land for it and solve its resettlement issue during the REIP.

"The ADB would never accept this hastily-made demand of Wasa, which insists on construction of Chirah Dam during the next couple of years. Now the construction work on Chirah Dam could not start within next two years even if the ADB's consultants find it feasible because in this phase of the project (REIP) the bank would conduct a survey, while, the physical work on the project could start in the next phase, which would take at least two more years to be launched."

Sources in the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) told Dawn that the refusal of the bank to act hastily in the matter was justified because the bank did not want the repetition of the same blunder committed by the Punjab government, Jica and the Japanese government during the construction of the Khanpur Dam.

Officials said the authorities had made huge blunders in making of assessments for Khanpur Dam. They said the authorities had assessed that Khanpur Dam would yield 52 Million Gallons per Day (MGD) in normal conditions.