RAWALPINDI: Punjab Local Government Secretary Mian Shakeel Ahmed on Monday asked to speed up work on the Asian Development Bank (ADB)funded Developing Resilient Environment and Advancing Municipal Services (Dreams-I) project to overcome the water shortage in the garrison city.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) provided a $114 million loan to the Punjab government to launch four mega projects in the garrison city to provide clean water to the residents. Work on the project was started in October 2024.

About the stalled work on two components of the project, he assured that steps would be taken to start work as soon as possible, and a meeting of the project steering committee would be convened soon to decide on these projects.

Work on these projects will be started as per the decision.

Reviewing the progress of the project at the commissioner office, Mian Shakeel Ahmed said that the Dreams-I project is very important for Rawalpindi city.

He said that 80 million gallons of extra water daily from Khanpur Dam would be made available to overcome the growing water crisis.

Accompanied byCommissioner Amir Khattak, he said that a solar project of 20 MW of electricity is also included to make the project workable and successful, which will help reduce the burden of electricity bills on the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Rawalpindi.

On the occasion, Wasa Managing Director Saleem Ashraf gave a briefing on the Dreams-I project.

The briefing stated that the fourpart Dreams-I project will meet the shortage of drinking water in the urban areas of Rawalpindi.

The ADB has allocated Rs35 billion for this project. Under this project, a total of 2.5 million gallons of additional water will be available from Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam and Chahan Dam.

He said that the project would be completed in a short period of three years.

The project is comprised of four parts, including one crore two million gallons from the Chahan Dam, five million gallons from Rawal Dam and an additional 80 million gallons of water from Khanpur Dam.

Along with this, a water supply line will be installed for water supply from Chahan Dam, while the relevant union councils Chak Jalal Din`s two union councils, Girja, Mori Ghazan, Kalyal, Dhaman Sayedan, and Morgah will benefit from the construction of overhead tanks and ground stor-age tanks in this area. He added that work on the Chahan Dam project is underway and it is likely to be completed within the stipulated time frame.

He said that they are trying to complete the project in two years instead of three.

Meanwhile, a high-level meeting regarding the Clean Punjab Programme was held at the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC) office with Punjab Local Government Secretary Mian Shakeel Ahmed, alongwith Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema.

RWMC Chief Executive Officer Rana Sajid Safdar, heads of nine other waste management companies from across the province and officials from the Local Government Department attended the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to review the progress of the Clean Punjab Programme launched under the directive of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz.

During the meeting, CEOs of all companies presented briefings on their respective districts` performance, the challenges they faced and future goals.

Mian Shakeel Ahmed said that Clean Punjab is a flagship project of the chief minister and there can be no compromise on its execution.

He emphasised that all companies must ensure strict dailymonitoring of the contractors` work and ensure 100 per cent implementation of their micro plans.

He directed that the target of zero waste must be achieved in both urban and rural areas.

He noted that the contractors now have the required machinery and human resources, so the focus must now shift entirely to practical steps.

He directed all companies to establish direct contact with citizens, personally listen to their complaints, and obtain feedback after resolution.

He also instructed that a uniform and distinctive siren be installed in auto-rickshaws used for door-to-door waste collection so that residents are immediately aware when the Clean Punjab team has arrived at their doorstep.

`Furthermore, dedicated teams should be formed to address complaints promptly, and the cleaning operations should also continue during the second shift.

The Secretary instructed that every complaint must be resolved within 24 hours and directed all companies to remain in constant coordination with the Strategic Management Unit (SMU).

He emphasised improving inter-company coordination, establishing individual-level communication, and learning from each other`s experiences.