RAWALPINDI:
Significant progress has been made in the Chirah Dam water supply project in Chirah area of federal capital Islamabad. Under the Punjab Irrigation Department, the construction of the dam will cost Rs 43 billion.
Meanwhile, under the Rawalpindi Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), a feasibility study worth Rs 80 million for a water treatment plant and main supply line has been approved. Setting up the treatment plant and laying a 20-kilometer-long main water supply line will require approximately Rs 55 billion. The entire cost of the project will be jointly funded by the federal and Punjab governments in equal shares.
Once completed, 28 million gallons of water will be supplied per day and distributed equally between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Cantonment areas will not be included in the project. The project is expected to be completed within two and a half to three years.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had led the launch of Chirah Dam project in Chirah area of Islamabad. The construction cost of the dam has been estimated at Rs 43 billion and its execution will be carried out by the Irrigation Department. WASA has prepared a feasibility estimate of Rs 80 crore for a water treatment plant near Rawal Lake and a 20 kilometer long main pipeline connecting Chirah Dam to Rawal Lake Water Treatment Plant. After the feasibility phase, the installation of the treatment plant and laying of the main pipeline will cost approximately Rs 55 billion.
Once completed, the project will make available 28 million gallons of water per day, of which 14 million gallons will be supplied daily to Rawalpindi and an equal amount to Islamabad. WASA Director General Muhammad Saleem Ashraf said that the Chirah Dam water supply project is of exceptional importance in meeting the growing water needs of the twin cities.
