ISLAMABAD  - Capital Development Authority (CDA) has formally started work on design of Cherah Dam and the project will be completed in next three years.
According to CDA Officials, CDA has started the project to curtail water shortage in the federal capital, while the work on design has begun and project will be completed within three years in this regard. The CDA has planned to build small dams in the federal capital to cope with water scarcity that is feared to get worse with the dramatic increase in population and development of more residential sectors. Water supply project of Cherah Dam has been prepared in collaboration with the Small Dams Organisation with total cost of Rs 5.3 billion.
The project, to be executed on Soan River with gross storage 82.95mcm and live storage of 60mcm per year, has been cleared by PDWP and forwarded to CDWP for NOC.
Meanwhile, torrential rains in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and its outskirts on Monday, resulted in the rise of water in Nullah Leh to a dangerous level.  District administration told this agency that when the water level in Katariyan rose to 17.49 feet and on Gawalmandi Bridge to 14.93 feet, the flood-warning control room sounded sirens to warn the citizens from possible danger of flood.
After the sounding of sirens, the residents of Arjun Nagar, Gawalmandi, Usmanpura, Muslim Colony, Nadeemabad, Chamanzar Colony, Dhok Khabba, Dhok Farman Ali, and of other low-lying areas shifted to safe places.
DCO, Rawalpindi, Saqib Zafar has said that the arrangements to deal with possible flood have been completed, and the situation in Nullah Leh is in control.
To deal with any emergency situation, the assistance of Rescue 1122 personnel was also sought. They took safety control around Nullah Leh.
Meanwhile, as a result of rain on IJ Principal Road, a wall fell on three persons including 35 years old Iqbal, 30 years old Akhtar and 27 years old Gohar. The three injured men were shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital immediately and now their lives are out of danger.
A child is also reported to drown in the overflowing Nullah Leh. Two more persons who were bathing in Nullah Leh are missing.
The encroachment on the nullah nearby, the areas of Amarpura, Ferozpura, New Katariyan, New Phagwari, Fauji Colony, Hazara Colony, Aria Muhallah, and Nadeem Colony, got inundated and this caused damage to the houses situated here.
The sewerage water entered into the houses in these areas much to the trouble of the area-dwellers. To avoid any accident, the electricity in the inundated areas was cut-off, which affected the availability of clean water to the people.