The much-awaited PC-I for setting up five Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) in different catchment areas of the federal capital is likely to get-green from the Planning Commission by end of the current month. "The plants will be installed at catchment areas of Bari Imam, Lower and Upper Shahdra and Simly dam," Chief Monitoring Officer Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) Syed Najaf Alam told APP.
The STPs idea, floated by Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration and Cabinet Division in 2012, is aimed at stopping the flow of sewage in the streams of Murree and the Korang River which discharges into Rawal Lake.
The installation of the five STPs had remained a hot pie for media in last six years intermittently, while the apex court also asked the Rawal Monitoring Committee to hire a consultancy firm for effective recommendations on prevailing water contamination issue in Rawal Lake.
Sharing details of the project, Najaf said Rs 3.69 billion PC-I had been completed and just awaiting the final nod from Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) after clearance of the technical observations made by the Planning Commission (Pakistan). He explained that the technical observations were related to environment protection and feasibility reports besides some other issues.
Answering a question, he said the PC-I was prepared on the war-footing for its early submission to the planning commission, expressing confidence that the project would be approved by end of this month. Elaborating the plants capacity, he said the five units would purify 9 million gallon contaminated water per day, giving a sigh of relief to the citizens of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi who have been expressing concerns due to supply of polluted water.
Another official of the MCI held responsible Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Punjab Government for inordinate delay in finalizing the project. The Punjab Government, he said, did not pay 33 per cent cost of the project and the CDA showed negligence in pursing the consultancy work. When the issue was raised in the apex court, the CDA came out of deep slumber and made swift contacts with the consultant, who had already prepared the feasibility report.
Meanwhile, the provincial government raised the objection that it not taken on board while preparing the PC-I, the official said. After approval of the PC-I, he said, "We will start other procedures like pre-qualification, inviting tenders and hiring a contractor." He highlighted the important role of media in creating awareness about social issues like clean drinking water, hoping that the STPs project would be completed at the earliest.
However, the public also raised their concerns and demanded the early solution of the issue that was spreading the life-threatening diseases. They said, undoubtedly, the citizens were more responsible for keeping their surrounding clean but the authorities concerned should come forward and solve this issue by involving the public.