Latest news with #NullahLehProject
Express Tribune
25-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Punjab okays feasibility study for revised Leh project
The Secretary of Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering department, Punjab has granted administrative approval for the feasibility study of the revised scope of the Nullah Leh project, which includes the sewerage trunk and flood channel. The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has been directed to issue advertisements for hiring expert companies to carry out the feasibility study. The Authority, designated as the executing agency for the Nullah Leh project, had previously been officially notified by the Punjab government through a formal letter about the project's new scope under the name "Sewerage Trunk and Flood Channel," which has already been approved by the Punjab cabinet. It is worth noting that, for the past 30 years, the provincial government has spent billions of rupees annually on cleaning the Nullah Leh and increasing its depth, only for the same practice to be repeated before the next monsoon season. Despite these efforts, the residents of Rawalpindi city and cantonment areas continue to suffer from severe flooding and environmental pollution caused by the open sewerage system, particularly during the monsoon season. Once the feasibility study is completed, the new project will consist of the sewerage trunk, flood channel, and a traffic route connecting the twin cities. The total estimated cost for the feasibility study and detailed design of the Nullah Leh Project is Rs41.260 million. As the project's executing agency, the RDA has initiated the process of soliciting proposals from consultants following administrative approval from the competent authority. The selected consultant will be required to submit the feasibility study report to the RDA within six months, after which the process of awarding the project contract will begin. Sources say Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has instructed that the project be given a more refined and efficient structure and that work should commence promptly. The project is expected to be completed in the shortest possible time to provide the residents of Rawalpindi relief from recurring flood disasters and hazardous environmental pollution, they add. Once the feasibility study is concluded, the project will not only address the ongoing flooding and pollution issues but also enhance the city's infrastructure by improving drainage systems and flood management.
Express Tribune
09-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Punjab green-lights Leh project feasibility
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab cabinet has approved a fresh feasibility study of the Nullah Leh flood channel and expressway project to resolve urban flooding during moonstone and establish an alternative traffic route between the twin cities. The study has been remained as the "Feasibility Study and Detailed Design of Leh Nullah Project." According to official sources, the feasibility study will be completed in six months. The new project will include a sewage trunk, a flood channel, and a traffic route between the twin cities. On January 14, a meeting of the Punjab cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, approved an expanded scope for the feasibility study of the Nullah Leh project, initially limited to a trunk sewer design. The newly named "Feasibility Study and Detailed Design of Nullah Leh Project" will cost approximately 41.26 million rupees. The Rawalpindi Development Authority will act as the executing agency and will seek proposals for the selection of a consultant, who is expected to submit the report within six months. Based on the cost assessment, the project contract will be awarded. This will involve transferring the open sewage flowing into Leh Nullah to large trunks, eventually reaching Gorakhpur through the Soan River, where a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) will be installed. Furthermore, a new alternative traffic route will be constructed on both sides of Leh Nullah for Rawalpindi and Islamabad, while a permanent path for stormwater will be created in the middle of the nullah. It is important to note that the project, which includes the construction of a flood channel and an alternative traffic route to eliminate open sewage from Leh Nullah, has been pending since 2007. While work had started on the project, it was halted after the 2008 elections and subsequent federal and provincial governments discontinued the project. However, sources indicate that CM Maryam Nawaz has now directed the project to be revived and to begin with a feasibility study to bring it to fruition.
