The Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) has approved a PC-I to complete a missing link in the main water supply line from Shah Allah Ditta Reservoir for providing a permanent water supply system in sectors G-13 and G-14.
According to officials, the main water line is approximately 14 kilometres long, with the CDA having already laid out most of it. FGEHA has now approved the PC-I for the two km-long missing links.
Sources reported that this project would be completed in a year as a priority because these regions currently lack 2.5 MGD of water. The authority intends to use this line to get an additional 1 MGD of water from Khanpur Dam.
Furthermore, due to the lack of a water supply mechanism, these two sectors have been dealing with a severe shortage of drinking water for many years.
It is important to note that the sectors have been unable to provide a water supply for more than two decades, forcing residents to rely on groundwater and a few tube wells.
Under the plan, once the water supply from Khanpur Dam is established, these sectors will be formally integrated into the CDA water supply network. In contrast, the CDA currently provides water tankers to residents at discounted rates.
Reports said that residents of the capital have long complained about a lack of water, particularly during the summer.
Although the CDA began a project in the 1990s to bring water from Khanpur Dam to Islamabad when the population was just under 600,000, this is the only such project that has been launched since the capital’s population has increased to 2.2 million, according to the 2017 census.
Moreover, according to the information shared by the authority, the FGEHA has issued approximately 1,652 provisional offer letters (POLs) for flats in the Kashmir Avenue apartment scheme in Sector G-13, Islamabad, to government employees. There were 796 A-category POLs, 857 B-category POLs, and 184 temporary allotments terminated due to non-payment of dues.
Besides, the FGEHA is also working on 3,432 flats in the Chaklala Scheme, while the Skyline Apartments have 3,945 units. The ministry has also invited construction companies from across the country to express their interest in launching new housing developments.