ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided in principle to engage services of a government-run organisation to replace conventional streetlights with light-emitting diode (LED) in the federal capital.

`CDA is going to sign an agreement with the National Electronics Complex of Pakistan (NECOP) to retrofit the traditional sodium streetlights already installed in Islamabad to European standard LEDs lights,` says a statement issued by the civic authority.

It said these LED lights would be installed at 40pc of the cost of new LED lights. Under the agreement, conventional sodium streetlights thatrun at250 watts will operate at 150 watts, while LED lights will have a 1,000-hour warranty.

`Yes we are going for LED light to save energy and finances,` CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed said.

Speaking to Dawn, he said the CDA board, in its meeting to be held on Thursday, would also discuss this issue.

`We are planning to do this project in phases; in the first phase, 1,000 conventional streetlights will be converted,` he said, adding that later all streetlights would be retrofit.

The chairman said the CDA was also planning to introduce Global System of Mobiles (GSM) based monitoring and control system for streetlights for automatic switch on and off. Whereas, through computerised system, the civic agency will also detectfault of streetlights on the computer screen, he added.

Mr Ahmed said recently his team shifted 25 tubewells in Poona Fagiran area to an automated system for ensuring uninterrupted water supply for I-9 and I-10 sectors and the results were outstanding.

`We are now focusing on technology-based interventions,` he added.