‘Work on Ghazi Barotha water project to be initiated in December’

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Mayor Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) Syed Zeeshan Ali Naqvi has said the construction work on multi-billion Ghazi Barotha water project would be initiated in December this year as all the modalities have been sorted out by stakeholders.

“All stakeholders including MCI, Sindh government and Indus River System Authority (Irsa) have sorted out the modalities and the required funds would be made available in the next few months,” he said.

The deputy mayor said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took keen interest in the Ghazi Barotha water project and helped removed all hurdles with an aim to resolve the issue of provision of clean drinking water both in Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the next 50 years.

He said the population of the capital city is growing at a high ratio due to which there is a need to carry out such a project that can enable the civic authorities to meet the water requirements of the residents for the next many decades.

He said: “We are highly thankful to the Prime Minister’s House because it made contacts with the Sindh government and removed its reservations over the Ghazi Barotha water project.” Syed Zeeshan Ali Naqvi said the project may cost over Rs50 billion because the cost of this project in first project concept (PC-I) that was prepared almost a decade ago was Rs35 billion, adding “We are not sure about the exact cost of the project but new PC-I would be prepared soon.”