Parliamentary body informed: Sewage being directly discharged into Rawal Dam

ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee was informed on Monday that untreated sewage from Bani Gala is being discharged directly into the Rawal Dam – which is considered one of the main sources of drinking water for the residents of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi – increasing the risk of contamination.

During a meeting of Senate sub-committee on climate change, chaired by Senator Shahzaib Durrani, Managing Director Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), left the participants astonished by revealing that the primary

source of water for the inhabitants of the twin cities was being provided with contaminated water, while the authorities remain oblivious.

However, the committee members including its chairman, who are believed to have never had had the taste of contaminated Rawal Dam water, took no substantial action beyond expressing surprise and asking for standard procedural reviews of the matter.

Senator Durrani, who presided over the sub-committee, however, stressed the need for stronger interventions to protect Rawal Dam, ensuring its sustainability as a vital water source for future generations.

The director general of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) underscored the absence of data on the types of waste entering the dam and revealed poor maintenance of sewage systems around the reservoir.

“There is no data portal for Rawal Dam’s environmental status, and waste continues to flow unchecked,” he added. The panel noted that 64 per cent of the dam’s pollution originates from Islamabad, while the remaining 36 per cent comes from Punjab.

It sought water sampling reports from the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to identify pollutants before and after treatment.

Besides, it also asked for data on waterborne diseases in the region for its next meeting.

Senator Durrani stressed the urgency of the matter, questioning continued construction near the national park’s two-kilometre radius.

Rawal Dam is supplying 28 million gallons daily (MGD) of water to Rawalpindi city and Cantonment areas through Rawal Filtration plant after cleaning it. At present, the daily requirement of water in the garrison city is 60 MGD but the agency provides 54 MGD and there was shortage of six MGD.

There are three main sources of water for Rawalpindi city - Rawal Dam which provides 28 MGD, Khanpur Dam which provides six MGD and the remaining water is supplied through 420 tubewells. So Rawal Dam remains to be a major source of water.

As many as 61 union councils of Rawalpindi are supplied water from Rawal Dam. Pakistan Army, Pakistan Railways and other military organisations also rely on water from the dam.

At the onset of the meeting, the sub-committee criticised the city managers for allowing the Punjab Irrigation Department to construct Rawalpindi Circuit House within the vicinity of Rawal Dam Irrigation Colony Zone 3.

The panel asked the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to hold an inquiry into construction of the building, without getting the mandatory environmental clearances before starting the construction.

Durrani called for an immediate halt to the construction of the Chief Engineer House if it was found to be in violation of environmental laws and regulations.

He stressed the need for stronger interventions to protect Rawal Dam, ensuring its sustainability as a vital water source for future generations.

He called for daily cleaning of the dam and the establishment of solid waste management systems to generate income and potentially produce electricity.

The committee also decided to conduct a site visit to Rawal Dam next week to assess the situation firsthand.

“If Lake Michigan can be cleaned, there is no reason why Rawal Dam cannot be restored to its original state,” remarked Durrani.

In addition, the committee urged the CDA to report on its waste management efforts around Rawal Dam and demanded a health department briefing on waterborne diseases linked to the reservoir.

A formal letter will be sent to the CDA chairman to expedite measures for maintaining the dam’s cleanliness.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025