‘Water storage pilot project to be launched in Islamabad’

ISLAMABAD: A pilot project of water storage would be established in Islamabad which would be the first project in “Recharge Pakistan Drive” and will further take it to the national level.

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said in a statement that people residing in federal capital were also facing water scarcity issues.

Therefore, we intend to launch a pilot project of water storage in Islamabad Capital Territory.
He said that Pakistan was not water scarce country. But unfortunately due to lack of infrastructure and mismanagement we waste huge quantity of water every year.

Pakistan is blessed with wetlands, where we can store flood waters and use it to cater our water related needs, he added.

Malik Amin Aslam said that the main idea of the project seems fine, but we have to conduct it’s detailed feasibility study by keeping in view environmental evaluation and cost benefit analysis of the proposed water storage sites.

In August this year, the Directorate of Soil Conservation Punjab Rawalpindi Region issued a statement saying it has constructed 102 mini dams in Potohar Region during last two years with 201 water ponds, 39 water storage tanks, 148 gabion spur and 28 earthen embankments.

Director Soil Conservation Department Malik Ghulam Akbar, in an interview with the state-run wire service, informed that total1504 structures including 337 Gully Plugging, 353 Water Disposal Outlets and 298 Retaining Walls were constructed in the region during last two financial years, 2016-17 and 2017-18. Nearly 80 per cent subsidy was given to the farmers for the construction of all these schemes, he added.