RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has approved funds for three projects aimed at ending the water shortage issue in the garrison city by the coming summer season.
In this regard, the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has called tenders to initiate work on the projects by the end of January.
Talking to Dawn, Wasa Managing Director Saleem Ashraf said Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had issued directions to end the water shortage in the garrison city in the coming summer and approved the three projects worth Rs3.1 billion.
“To supply water in seven union councils around the old airport and Nur Khan Airbase, a project worth Rs965 million will be launched and completed by the next fiscal year,” he said.
Punjab govt has approved Rs3.1bn to resolve issue by next summer, says Wasa chief
He said 12 tubewells will be installed along Islamabad Expressway to supply water to seven union councils as geological experts in a report had indicated the absence of groundwater in these union councils near the old airport.
“The project will cover union councils 75, 76 and 77 (Fazal Town, Gulzar-i-Quaid, Dhoke Hafiz, Nazeerabad, Faisal Colony), UC 77 and 78 (Shah Khalid Colony, Fazal Town, Butt Market) and union councils 80 to 82.”
He said Capital Development Authority (CDA) had granted a no-objection certificate (NoC) to Wasa for the installation of tubewells in the seven union councils.
One overhead tank with the capacity to store 50,000 gallon water while two underground tanks with the capacity of 400,000 gallon of water each would be constructed for the smooth supply of water.
About two other works, Mr Ashraf said Rs1.11 billion would be spent to replace the water supply network from Khanpur Dam and Rs1.13 billion to replace the old and rusty supply network from Rawal Dam.
He said these projects were aimed to revive the old and rusty water supply network from Rawal and Khanpur dams. He said most of the water supply lines had outlived and there was a dire need to replace it.
A survey of old and rusty supply lines has already been completed and work on the project would start in January as tenders had been called and the consumers would get water without any hurdle by June.
“More than 765,000 consumers will get benefit from these water supply schemes. It will end leakages in supply lines and contamination in the water,” he said.
He said that the provincial government had already started work to bring water from Chahan Dam and work on Daducha Dam was also likely to start soon.
He said Wasa had also started work to conduct a survey of areas where tap water was not being supplied a report will be sent to Lahore so more development schemes will be initiated to expand the water supply network.
Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2025
