The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has floated a tender for the Shahdara Dam project, which will add the first new water source to the Islamabad supply system in nearly 30 years. The authority announced on Wednesday that construction will begin soon.
CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf said the PC-I for the project sets a two-year completion timeline, but the authority aims to finish it within 20 months. The dam will be built near the Shahdara picnic area.
According to a CDA press release, it is expected to contribute approximately 5 to 10 million gallons per day (MGD), subject to the final design, technical assessments and operational arrangements.
Ashraf said four check dams will also be built at the foothills of the Margalla Hills, including locations near D-12, Shah Allah Ditta and Saidpur. A project to construct 100 recharge wells is also set to begin to raise the underground water table in the city. Tenders for the check dams and recharge wells have not yet been issued.
Islamabad receives around 1,100 millimetres of rainfall annually, but much of the water flows away through nullahs. The CDA is also working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on a master plan for water supply, sewerage and drainage in the city.
The city has a water demand of around 250 MGD, while the CDA supplies approximately 70 MGD, mostly to urban areas, from Khanpur Dam, Simly Dam and tubewells. Rural residents largely rely on borewells and small water supply schemes run by the district administration.
During each monsoon, the CDA releases large quantities of water from Simly Dam, while authorities in Rawalpindi release water from Rawal Dam because no system exists to store surplus water. The CDA has also planned Chinot Dam in the Simly Dam catchment area and Dotara Dam in the Khanpur Dam catchment area.
