No more dirty drains: 60% Pindi areas to get new sewer system by 2009

[LRE]

No more dirty drains: 60% Pindi areas to get new sewer system by 2009

By Aamir Yasin

RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Environment Improvement Project (REIP) will complete Rs 1 billion project of laying new sewer system in the city by 2009, however it has left 40 percent localities of the city unattended, it is learnt.

Sources told Daily Times on Friday that the REIP Project Management Unit had started laying new sewerage lines on eastern side of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road (old Murree Road), Satellite Town, Khayban-e-Sir Syed and other areas last year.

However, they said, the thickly populated areas like Raja Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Bara Bazaar, Niya Mohallah, Arya Mohallah, DAV College Road, Gordon College Road, Islampura, Chittian Hattian, Bhabara Bazaar, Mohallah Shah Chan Chiragh, Purana Qila, Sarafa Bazaar, Urdu Bazaar, Mohanpura, Arjan Nagar, Usmanpura, Gunjmandi, Akal Garh, Jammia Masjid Road, Saidpuri Gate and other adjoining areas were not included in the project.

They said in some areas of downtown like Niya Mohallah, Arya Mohallah, Mohanpura, Usmanpura, Ittehad Colony, Chittian Hattian, the sewerage system was laid 30 years ago. They said old sewerage lines were unable to bear the increasing sewage load due to growing population. They said undersized sewerage system was hardly capable to handle the sewage during dry weather, but during rains it overflowed and created unhealthy environmental conditions.

They said 70 percent of the city sewage was flowing in the streets and side drains and ultimately discharged into Nullah Leh polluting the environment. They said indiscriminate discharge of untreated sewage into street drains and rainwater channels was contaminating the water supply and underground water.

Project Director Syed Aslam Sabzwari was not available in his office for his comments. However, some officials said under the project, the Project Management Unit of REIP would lay new sewerage pipelines in areas on eastern side of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road including Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Khurram Colony, Dhoke Ali Akbar, Dhoke Paracha, Dhoke Kashmirian, Dhoke Kala Khan, Nadeem Colony, Arya Mohallah, Dhoke Ellahi Bukhsh, Dhoke Khaba, Qasimabad, Amarpura and others.

They said more than 60 percent localities of the city would be provided with better sewerage system by 2009 and the sewerage system network would be connected with Moti Mahal Outfall trunk sewer. They said the sewage would be transferred through trunk sewer to Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), to be built at Adiala Village at the cost of Rs 1.4 billion.

They said presently the REIP was laying new sewerage pipelines in Satellite Town and Khyaban-e-Sir Syed. They said sewerage lines in these localities were laid in 1950s and 1970s respectively. With the passage of time bigger plots have been subdivided and each sewer line has now been overloaded due to increase in population and consequent increase in sewerage flow, they added.

They said old lines were now incapable to handle the increased sewage inflow.

“We are partially replacing old sewer lines in both localities with new lines from 9 to 60 inches diameter,” they said, adding, under the project, REIP would lay 220-kilometer sewer lines in the city.

Replying to a question about not laying new lines in thickly populated areas, they said it was difficult to lay sewer lines in four feet wide streets and Eastern side of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road had narrow streets.

They said these areas might be included in Phase-III after the completion of Rawalpindi Environmental Improvement Project.

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