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Wasa completes 50 per cent work of Nullah Leh dredging

Rawalpindi Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Rawalpindi has completed 50 per cent work of dredging of Nullah Leh which started last month and the remaining work would also be over much before the Monsoon season. Talking to this scribe, Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mahmood said that he along

By Saeed Ahmed
February 10, 2015
Rawalpindi
Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), Rawalpindi has completed 50 per cent work of dredging of Nullah Leh which started last month and the remaining work would also be over much before the Monsoon season.
Talking to this scribe, Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat Mahmood said that he along with Wasa Deputy Managing Director Amir Rasheed visited Dhoke Naju and Phagwari Bridge to inspect the scope of work on Nullah Leh dredging.
He said that the staff have already excavated and dumped more than 0.55 million cubic feet material from Nullah Leh to outside the city.
He said that all the excavated material is being shifted on daily basis with help of dumper trucks in the evening.
Expressing his satisfaction, Raja Shaukat said that he has issued special directions to the labourers and staff that all the remaining work should be completed on time, so that before monsoon all the hurdles/impediments in flow of Nullah Leh could be cleared.
He told that completion of dredging of Nullah Leh will be helpful to safeguard from floods during monsoon season.
He further said that dredging of Nullah Leh was approved by government of Punjab in 2011-12 with a total cost of Rs92 million which was to be completed in three phases. Wasa has already completed two phases in 2011-12 and 2013-14 at a cost of Rs62 million.
The current phase, which is third and final phase of the project is in progress with remaining fund of Rs30 million released this year by the government and work on clearing of vulnerable points, shifting of material will be done during this phase. He also appealed the residents of surrounding areas to stop dumping solid waste and building waste material in Nullah Leh. In this regard Wasa has also displayed awareness banners and distributed pamphlets.
While replying to a question, about channels connecting Nullah Leh in inner parts of the city, Wasa managing director said that the work of cleaning and lifting wastages in inner localities now belongs to Solid Waste Management Company, which he said also has to finish its work before the onset of the Monsoon season. However, people without realising again throw household wastages direct in small channels of Nullah Leh which not only chokes the drains during heavy rains, water overflows in streets and barges into the houses located in low-lying localities. He stressed the need that the concerned department i.e. Solid Waste Management Company should place dust bins in all streets preventing people from throwing wastages direct in small channels of Nullah Leh.
In the meantime, Managing Director, Solid Waste Management, Irfan Qureshi said that the plan of working on Nullah Leh small channels including its desilting would commence in March and would be completed in June. Under the plan over 4,000 dustbins would be placed in every street of tehsil and union councils besides creating awareness among the residents to throw their household wastages in waste bins instead of throwing in lai channels.
Similarly, he told that the project of Solid Waste Management has been initiated in Rawalpindi from Shakriyal and Sadiqabad localities. Under the project to be carried out at a cost of Rs7 billion, manual and mechanical sweeping machines would operate besides the manual labour. The plan would be implemented in all union and tehsil councils by May 31, this year, he told.