Stalled drainage project awaits green light

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has sent the PC-2 worth Rs54.9 million to solve the long-standing and complex problems of Nullah Leh to the Punjab government for approval. The revised feasibility study of the project involves the efficient diversion of sewage, anti-flood steps and alternative traffic routes between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad permanently. The Nullah Leh has been causing environmental pollution and flooding in Rawalpindi for the last several years. The PC II has been dispatched to the provincial Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and final approval of PC-2 will be taken from the Planning and Development department. Earlier, the Rs48.9m worth of PC-2 of the project was limited to sewage diversion only. Sources in the RDA said that upon completion of the feasibility study of the project, the total cost will be spent in three phases as per the consultant's report. In the first phase, the sewage of the city and cantonment will be transferred to the Swan River through a large trunk sewerage system on both sides of Nallah Leh. In the second phase, the drain will be paved from the middle to channel the rainwater, while in the third phase, roads will be constructed on both sides of the drain. The project will be awarded under the G2G (Government to Government) arrangements, but the approval of the planning and development department will be obtained. Naya Pak will be hired for the feasibility study. The RDA has been appointed as the executing agency for the proposed project under which the feasibility study will cover three phases of the project. In the first phase, trunk sewerage will be constructed on the 16km stretch of both sides of the drain from New Katarian Bridge to the Swan River. The funds will be released after the feasibility study is completed. The sources further said that the middle part of the covered sewer trunk would be paved in three stages and the rainwater would be diverted from there. In the third stage, the traffic will be replaced for Rawalpindi city and Cantt to Islamabad while constructing roads on both sides of Nallah Leh. Nullah Leh’s open sewage has been causing heavy loss of life and property to Rawalpindi residents in the form of environmental pollution and monsoon floods for the last several years. The need to solve the long-standing problem was acutely felt in 2006-7 when the historic flood in Rawalpindi in 2001-2 took 80 lives and caused billions of rupees worth of financial losses to the city. The construction of the Leh Expressway with protected sewage in Nullah Leh was finalised and work started in 2006-7, but in 2008, the then federal and the Punjab governments terminated the joint fund. Later, despite all efforts, decisions and announcements, the work on the project could not be started as cost escalated. The work on the stalled project is now gaining pace after the intervention of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2024.