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70pc Pindi areas without proper sewerage system

By Aamir Yasin

RAWALPINDI: Around 70 percent localities of Rawalpindi city, mostly inhabited by low-income group people, are without proper sewerage system.

Sources told Daily Times that the existing sewerage system, laid 50 years ago, covered only 30 percent area. They said the old sewerage lines were unable to bear the increasing sewage load due to growing population.

They said undersized sewerage system, which was hardly capable to handle the sewage during dry weather, overflowed and created unhealthy environmental conditions during rains.

They said 70 percent of the city sewage was flowing in the streets and side drains, which was ultimately discharged into Leh Nullah polluting the environment.

They said presently Satellite Town, Khyaban-e-Sir Syed, Mukha Singh Estate, Asghar Mall Scheme, Eidgah Scheme, Gulshan Dadan Khan, Dhoke Babu Irfan and central downtown areas had sewerage system facility.

They said presently there were 29,281 sewer connections in the city and Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) was charging for them on quarterly basis at the rate of 50 percent of water supply charges.

They said some areas like Satellite Town and Khyaban-e-Sir Syed had undersized sewers of 150 mm laid in the streets, which were normally used for internal domestic sewers. These sewers cannot bear the burden during heavy rains and cause problems for residents due to choking of sewerage lines and overflowing of gutters.

They said indiscriminate discharge of untreated sewage into the streets’ drains and rainwater channels was contaminating the water supply and underground water.

Solid Waste Management District Officer Dr Mazhar Azeem said the department was responsible for cleanliness of streets and drains only and the sewerage system’s cleanliness was responsibility of WASA.

He said during the recent rains spell, rainwater accumulated in different localities as the sewerage system had collapsed. He said the department had cleaned all the nullahs and drains before the monsoon but the rainwater flooded streets and roads due blocked sewerage system.

When contacted, Brig (r) Shahrukh Lodhi, Project Director, Rawalpindi Environmental Improvement Project (REIP), said in view of the gravity of the situation, the REIP Project Management Unit had prepared a comprehensive plan to improve the sewerage system and started laying new sewerage lines.

He said more than 80 percent localities of the city would be provided with better sewerage system within next 18 months and the sewerage system network would be connected with Moti Mahal Outfall trunk sewer.

He said city’s sewage would be transferred to Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) through trunk sewer. He said the STP would be built at Adiala Village at the cost of Rs 1.4 billion.

He said presently the REIP was laying new sewerage pipelines in Khyaban-e-Sir Syed, Satellite Town, Mukha Singh Estate, Dhoke Khabba, Ratta Amral, Dhoke Babu Irfan and some other areas inhabited by low-income people.

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