LAHORE: Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) is all set to launch civil work on as many as 65 development schemes worth over Rs80 billion in Lahore.

As the 65 schemes include 55 and 10 to be executed under Annual Development Programme (ADP) and the Chief Minister’s Initiative respectively, the agency will start receiving funds in tranches from next month, Dawn has learnt.

“We are going to start work on lot of development schemes soon, as we are expecting release of funds in tranches from next month. These schemes include replacement of trunk sewer lines in Johar Town (Shouq Chowk to Shaukat Khanum Intersection and Nazaria Pakistan Road),” Wasa Managing Director Ghufran Ahmad said while talking to Dawn on Thursday.

According to a document made available to Dawn, 26 schemes worth over Rs10.113 billion aim at replacing the decades-old trunk/major sewer lines with new ones in various parts of the city. These include replacement of outlived trunk sewer from Shouq Chowk to Shaukat Khanum (Khyaban-i-Firdausi in Johar Town) worth Rs1.9bn, replacement of sewer system from Boostan Colony Lift station to S-block disposal station, Dhalla bazaar along Sattokatla drain worth Rs377 million, replacement of sewerage system from S block Model Town to Sattokatla disposal station (Peco Road) worth Rs395m, replacement of sewerage system from LMP block disposal station Model Town Link Road to Meikong Restaurant Faisal Town worth Rs288.4m, replacement of sewerage from Main Boulevard Faisal Town to Faisal Town Roundabout worth Rs313.3m and replacement of sewerage from Bakar Mandi to Typhone Street worth Rs150m.

The nine schemes worth Rs5.401bn are related to rainwater management/drainage management for sore points at fruit & vegetable market, Iqbal Town, railway station park, Waris Road, Garden Town, Cooper Road, Rasool Park, Tikka Chowk (Johar Town), Rasool Park, Karim Park and Tajpura.

The 15 schemes worth Rs4.396bn aim at procuring of machinery for sewer/drains cleaning in the areas of all Wasa zones - Ganj Bakhsh, Ravi, Shalimar, Wagah, Aziz Bhatti, Gulberg, Samanabad, Iqbal and Nishtar towns. The 10 schemes worth Rs60bn will be launched under CM initiative/Lahore Development Programme in Gulberg, Ravi, Data Ganj Bakhsh, Samanabad, Nishtar, Shalimar and Wagah zones.

“Wasa is set to launch work on record schemes during this fiscal year. And hopefully we will complete all these plans within timelines subject to availability of funds,” the Wasa MD said.

LWMC: A mega cleanliness operation has been launched in the city, according to a spokesman for the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC).

Spanning over all nine zones/towns of Lahore, the operation aims at making entire parts of the city zero-waste. Over 800 workers and 140 operational vehicles have been mobilised for the clean-up efforts, with a focused operation underway in Data Ganj Bakhsh town.

“The implementation of special cleaning measures across both urban and rural union councils must be taken seriously with manual and mechanical sweeping and scraping activities especially in the historic walled city and the localities within or around Bhaati Gate,” said LWMC MD Babar Sahib Din while presiding over a meeting here on Thursday.

He said the LWMC’s operation teams should also intensify cleanliness measures at Mochi Gate, Data Darbar and adjacent roads.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2024