Rawalpindi - Punjab Secretary for Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department, Capt (Retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha visited Rawalpindi yesterday for inspection of arrangements being made by WASA for anticipated upcoming heavy rains in the current monsoon season in the city. Additional District Collector Rawalpindi Muhammad Arif Rahim, Chief Engineer PHE Saleem Raza and managing director WASA also accompanied the secretary during the visit.

MD WASA Raja Shaukat Mahmood briefing the secretary said that 90 percent dredging/desilting of Nullah Lai has been completed and work on upstream of Ganjmandi Bridge was in progress which would be completed during this week.

This year WASA has dredged out more than 400,000 cubic feet solid waste from Nullah Lai at different points and the same has been transported to the landfill site at Losar Road, said adding that Met department has issued heavy rainfall warning during current monsoon season and to cope with the anticipated flood situation, the WASA has cancelled leaves of all field staff and machinery/equipment will remain on high alert till 30th September 2016.

He also briefed about the establishment of flood response units which were made functional at four different places in Rawalpindi at Moti Mahal, Liquat Bagh, Bagh Sardaran and Khyaban-e-Sir Syed. Heavy machinery of WASA including sucker machines, jetting machines, dewatering sets and water boozers were in working condition and deployed at these Flood Response Units. He also said that more than 80 percent flood water was coming from Islamabad catchment area through four major tributaries in Lai Nullah and 11 Nullahs were also terminating in Lai Nullah from Rawalpindi city. Secretary Housing Capt (retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha visited Lai Nullah right from Katarian to Gawalmandi bridge and inspected ongoing as well as completed dredging work. He visited CDGR Central Flood Warning Control Room at TAM Rawal Town and also inspected machinery and equipment of WASA at Liaquat Bagh.  At the end, he directed MD WASA to speed up the remaining cleaning work of Lai Nullah and remain alert during the rainy season. Secretary Housing Punjab emphasized that third party validation of Lai Nullah dredging/desilting work should be completed in next two weeks and report should be submitted to the Punjab government on time.

He also said that all possible resources should be made available to the people during any flood situation. The WASA should work in close coordination with CDGR and other allied departments.

The secretary said that no negligence would be tolerated at all in this regard.