rawalpindi - The government of Punjab has accorded an approval afresh for the Jhelum water supply project aimed to overcome water crisis in Rawalpindi. According to Chairman Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), Arif Abbasi, the Punjab government has decided to overcome water issue and planned to obtain water from Jhelum River so that Rawalpindi city could be provided with required quantity of water. He said, under the project water would be first brought to Murree and Kotli Sattian from Kohala, Jhelum River and then would be brought to Rawal Dam from where it would be supplied to Rawalpindi city and cantt areas. He said in Murree and Kotli Sattian, a big junction would be made to supply water to Rawal Dam though a proper route in order to supply water in Rawalpindi.
He added that the Punjab government had already given a green signal to the concerned authorities for financing the project. To reduce the estimated cost the water would be brought to the Rawal dam through a bigger pipe line from the junction. The network for providing water to Rawalpindi city and Cantt area already exists. Only Rs 260 million would be spent for supplying water to Rawal Dam from Murree and Kotli Sattian Junction. The Chairman RDA while talking to APP informed that the project was reviewed after undertaking a visit of the route of the project recently, along with the Provincial Minister Mian Mehmood ur Rashid, MNA, Sadaqat Ali Abbasi, Deputy Commissioner. He said more than three kilometre water pipelines had already been laid under this project. Pipelines are already available as per requirements and generators had also been purchased. This project is aimed at supplying water to Murree, Kotli Sattian, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It is pertinent to mention here that Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) in its recent report had stated the groundwater table in the Rawalpindi city sharply depleted from 550 feet to 650 feet over the last six years due to over-extraction.