ISLAMABAD, Jul 27 (APP):Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Tuesday said that feasibility study of the project for raising the water table in the city would be finalized by end of current year and this project would provide additional water supply to the citizens of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) before next summer.
Chairing a meeting to review the progress on Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) here, the minister appreciated the efforts of PCRWR regarding rainwater harvesting or groundwater recharge in ICT. Moreover, he emphasized setting up the field activities and completing a comprehensive water resource assessment in the entire ICT by December 2021.
The agreement was signed on July 08, 2021. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on CDA Ali Nawaz Awan, Chairman CDA, Chairman PCRWR, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, and senior officials of relevant departments attended the meeting.
Chairman PCRWR briefed the meeting on the water supply issues not only in Islamabad sectors but also in suburban areas of the entire Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) region.
He informed that at the end of this year they will complete the feasibility study for identifying the flow of water and where it needs to be captured.
It will also show the locations where ponds can be made for capturing water from streams in order to raise the underground water level. Similarly, recharge wells and water supply tube wells will also be completed in the current financial year.
Minister Asad Umar said that the citizens of Islamabad are suffering from a water shortage. The current average demand of Islamabad is 246 million gallons per day (MGD) right now. The major water supply sources are Simly and Khanpur Dams plus 194 tube wells while the current supply is 80 MGD. He said that the groundwater is falling rapidly and has dropped to the lowest levels.
He further added that another project for carrying water from Ghazi Barotha is in the pipeline.
The Ghazi Barotha project will initially provide 100 million gallons of water to the citizens of Islamabad. In the meantime, before this project is completed in 3 to 4 years, immediate steps are needed to reduce the water shortage in Islamabad, therefore, this short-term project for raising the water table has been planned.
