Islamabad: Water & sewer upgrade: CDA submits Rs 10 billion PC-1 to govt for approval

[Naveed Yaseen]

* A firm of international standard, which would use no-dig
technology, would be hired to execute the project
* PC-1 includes introduction of meter system to check water wastage

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has prepared Project Concept-I (PC-I) worth of Rs10 billion for improvement of old and rusty waterlines and sewerage system in the city.

Sources told Daily Times on Monday that the CDA board had approved the project and sent its PC-I to Cabinet Division for approval of funds. Due to aggravating water shortage crisis and increasing sewage problem in the city the government is likely to approve funds for the project under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), they said.

No-dig technology: According to the PC-1, the CDA would hire a firm of international standard, which would use no-dig technology to execute the project. “Replacement of waterlines network in a developed city like Islamabad is not an easy task, therefore the CDA board has decided to execute the project with a firm having no dig technology,” they said.

Meter system: The sources said the PC-1 also includes introduction of meter system in the city to control huge water loses and ensure 24 hours water supply to the citizens. With the introduction of meter system, the residents would use water carefully like the electricity, they said, adding, “according to an estimate CDA suffers Rs 900 million loss every year due to water wastage by the residents,” they said.

They said earlier CDA had planned to upgrade only water supply system, start work on the project in 2009 and complete it in 2012 on Engineering Planning and Construction (EPC) basis, but now they have changed the plan and also included improvement of sewerage system.

About 60 percent of the available water goes waste due to leakage of decades old waterlines and non-judicious use of water, maintained the sources, adding, the replacement of existing waterlines network would control leakage of water. They said the capital city would face severe water shortage in future if the authority did not upgrade the existing network, as the CDA has planned to develop some new residential sectors.

They said the upgradation of sewerage system included replacement of decades old and insufficient capacity’s broken sewage lines, which would further deteriorate with the increasing commercial activities, as CDA has permitted high-rises construction in the city.

They said according to the original master plan, the construction of four-storey buildings was allowed in Blue Area and the town planners had laid sewage lines keeping in view requirement of four-storey buildings. They said pressure on the current sewerage system started increasing when the CDA reviewed the original plan in 1980s and allowed construction of six-storey buildings on the southern side of Jinnah Avenue and 15 to 19 storey high-rises on the northern side. “ The CDA reviewed the master plan but did not bother to upgrade the sewerage system according to the requirement of the area,” they added.

They said presently a 40-story building was under construction in Blue Area and if construction of such other buildings continued it would badly affect the already deteriorated sewerage system. They said in big cities the civic authorities upgrade services like sewerage system and water supply before allowing construction of high rises.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg11_1