The much-anticipated Daducha Dam project, set to supply 35 million gallons of water daily to Rawalpindi, is poised for completion within two years, with a projected cost exceeding from Rs 6.4 billion to Rs 12.7 billion after the approval from the Punjab Planning and Development Department.
The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), awarded the project contract in 2020, initiated work at the dam site on Friday after nearly two decades since its proposal in 2001.
Spanning Daducha, a small village on the outskirts of Rawalpindi, the project necessitated the acquisition of 16,194 kanals of land in Rawalpindi and Kallar Syedan. Following the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s intervention, landowners were compensated at market rates.
Situated upstream of the Soan River near Sihala on Kahuta Road, the Daducha Dam is designed to collect rainwater from the Murree and Kahuta hills, creating a lake in Daducha village. Upon completion, expected in approximately two years, the dam aims to address Rawalpindi’s water scarcity by providing 35 million gallons daily (MGD) to its residents.
A total of 16,194 kanals and 14 marla land was acquired in Rawalpindi and