RAWALPINDI, April 17: Nespak, a state-run engineering and consultative organization, has prepared US$85.71 million PC-1 of Rawalpindi Environmental Improvement Project (REIP), Dawn has learnt.

The PC-1 would be submitted to the department of planning and development, Punjab, for approval within a couple of days, the source said. The project would be implemented over a period of five years and would be completed by October 2009.

Officials said out of the total amount, $60 million would be provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), while $5 million per year would be furnished by the Punjab government. The terms and conditions of the ADB loan for the REIP are a bit harder than the $80 million soft-term loan the bank had provided for the recently completed phase of the REIP, called the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Project (UWSSP).

The project is aimed at improving the living conditions of the residents of Rawalpindi by augmenting the water supply and sanitation facilities, solid waste management and water treatment as well as relocation of slaughter houses outside the city.