Chahan Dam water project for Rawalpindi to finish by December 2027 at Rs 35 billion

Rawalpindi's Chahan Dam water supply project will be completed by December 2027, Punjab's Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Bilal Yasin said after visiting the site, ProPakistani reported on Saturday 17 October. The scheme costs Rs 35 billion, is funded by the Punjab government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and is meant to bring clean drinking water to more than 250,000 residents.

The project at a glance

WASA officials briefed the minister on progress, and he inspected the water filtration plant under construction. Bilal Yasin called the scheme a gift from Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to the people of Rawalpindi. The project is two years into a 38-month schedule.

Why Rawalpindi needs it

Rawalpindi has long relied on the Rawal and Khanpur dams and on tubewells for its water, and summers bring shortages in many neighbourhoods as groundwater levels drop. Families who cannot get enough from the mains buy tanker water or bottled water. A new source with its own treatment plant is aimed at both problems: quantity and the quality of what comes out of the tap.

The minister did not say which neighbourhoods will be connected first, or how much extra water in gallons a day the scheme will add. We will update this story when WASA publishes those figures.

What it means for households

Until the scheme is running, the practical steps stay the same: boil or filter tap water for drinking, and report leaks and dirty supply to WASA Rawalpindi's complaint line so they are logged. If you are weighing a home water filter or a rooftop solar pump, our solar system calculator gives a rough idea of what panels to run a motor would cost.

Other Rawalpindi news this week: smoke-emitting vehicles are being impounded until they get a fitness certificate as the smog season starts (our story).