The project is expected to be completed within a period of two and a half years
A 44 kilometers long water pipeline will be laid from Terbela Dam to provide Islamabad and Rawalpindi with additional 650 million gallons of water every day. Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Asad Umar made the announcement, saying that the project should help stop water shortage for a period of 25 to 30 years.
The initial additional supply will be 200 million gallons and will increase with time to its full capacity.
“Bulk Water Supply Project from Terbela dam to the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi will initially provide an additional 200 million gallons of water that will be gradually increased to 650 million gallons”, Umar said.
The twin cities are currently receiving half of their 440 million gallons of water demand on a daily basis. The minister instructed CDA to complete the project at the earliest. A time frame of loosely two and a half years was provided during the meeting.
The expenditure for land procurement will be split on a fifty fifty basis between the federal and Punjab governments. In a bid to complete the project at the earliest, the services of engineer-in-chief of the FWO and ENC Pakistan Army will be obtained.
Water shortage in the twin cities
Islamabad and Rawalpindi both have faced severe water shortage for many years. The rising population has been adding to the water woes faced by the common people. Many residents have opted for expensive option of deep boring for water. People also try to carefully spend the water resources to avoid shortage.
However, these steps can only have a partial impact and the projects such as the pipeline is the only long-term solution. It is crucial that it’s executed successfully and without any delays.