Laying down sewerage lines: Wasa digging roads without NOC, MCR lodges complaint with commissioner

Rawalpindi: Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has been digging new roads without the proper permission of the concerned authorities of the local administration, Rawalpindi. Met­ro­politan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) has written a letter to Commissioner Rawalpindi Division and complained that Wasa without getting a Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) was digging out even new carpeted roads in the name of laying down sewerage lines and wasting billions of rupees of Punjab government.

Over 70 per cent of carpeted roads in Rawalpindi city have caved in due to underground leakage through low-quality water pipelines. Secondly, Wasa after laying down sewerage lines does not repair the roads properly as it uses low-quality materials which damage the roads.

There is no proper sewerage system in Rawalpindi city. Only 40pc of the area has sewerage lines, while the remaining 60pc are without it. All of the city’s sewage is discharged into Leh Nullah, and even sewage from areas where sewerage lines are present is discharged into Leh Nullah without being treated.

Metropolitan Corporation Rawalpindi (MCR) Town Officer (Infrastructure and Services) Rafaqat Gondal told ‘The News’ that Wasa did not get a Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) to dig out roads here in city areas. Wasa has started sewerage work here at Chungi No.4 Bagh Sardaran without any permission. “I have written a letter to Commissioner Rawalpindi Division to take action against this illegal practice,” he claimed.

The residents of Bagh Sardaran have strongly protested against Wasa they were laying down sewerage lines. They said that sewerage lines were already laid down here in Bagh Sardaran, why Wasa was laying down sewerage lines once again. Wasa should handle the sewerage system properly which was blocked all around but officials were laying down lines again and again only to get ‘commission’, residents alleged. The residents also said that sewerage water mixed with drinking water in several areas but Wasa officials were only showing performance in laying down sewerage lines. Wasa Assistant Director (Sewerage) Ahmed Hussain said that they were upgrading the system. “We don’t need NOC (permission) from any department in this regard, he said. He has admitted underground leakage and said that we are trying to stop underground leakage.

‘The News’ conducted a survey that the sewerage system of Rawalpindi city has been ruined because over 90 per cent of gutters remain overflowing all around even on main roads. Around 60 per cent of tube wells of Wasa have become outdated and have not been operational due to low-quality ‘Steiner’. WASA was using low-quality ‘Steiner’ rather than steel in tube wells. The cost of fine quality steel ‘Steiner’ is Rs500,000 but Wasa officials using low quality ‘Steiner’ in cost of Rs100,000. It is worth mentioning here that Punjab government releases funds to purchase fine-quality materials.

Some key post officers from Wasa on condition of anonymity told ‘The News’ that the Punjab government released Rs5-Crore to clean 15 small nullahs passing through different areas of Rawalpindi but corrupt officers of the department cleaned only 7 Nullahs while the condition of others was embarrassing. The sewerage system of the whole city is poor because of the non-cleaning of small Nullahs, the officers said. The officers also said that dozens of complaints against bad sewerage systems filed by people were pending here in the office.

The residents of different areas like Arya Mohallah, Naik Alam, Chah Sultan, Raja Bazaar, Mukha Sing Estate, and Asghar Mall were using unhygienic water for a long time. Sewerage water mixing with drinking water here in the areas, the officers said.