Islamabad’s most photographed water body has a pollution problem that no single press release has managed to fix. The Rawal Dam cleanliness drive now underway in the capital is the latest attempt and this time, it carries a corporate signature alongside the government’s.
Why the Rawal Dam Cleanliness Drive Matters for Islamabad’s Water Security
The Rawal Dam cleanliness drive is not a symbolic photo-op. It targets a reservoir that supplies drinking water to millions across Islamabad and Rawalpindi, one already flagged by parliament for chronic sewage contamination.
Senate committee testimony has placed 64 percent of the dam’s pollution load on Islamabad itself, with the remainder flowing in from Punjab. That imbalance has made cleanup campaigns a recurring, if inconsistent, feature of civic life.
Inside JazzWorld’s Partnership With CDA and MCI on Waste Reduction
JazzWorld’s involvement builds on ties already established with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI). The telecom and digital services group has previously worked with both bodies on the capital’s Earth Hour observance.
- JazzWorld switched off non-essential lighting and digital displays at its Islamabad headquarters for Earth Hour, alongside CDA and MCI
- The company frames such efforts as part of a Net Zero by 2050 commitment
- Its ESG programme lists responsible waste management, water conservation, and rainwater harvesting at its Islamabad HQ among core priorities
“At JazzWorld, we recognize our responsibility to reduce our environmental impact and embed sustainability into how we operate,” said Syed Zaheer Mehdi, Group Chief Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Officer at JazzWorld, describing the company’s broader environmental push.
The Scale of Pollution Threatening Rawal Dam
Pollution at Rawal Dam has moved from a planning concern to a public health flashpoint. Thousands of dead fish were reported floating on the reservoir in October 2025, an incident officials linked to worsening water toxicity.
Sewage, Plastic and Medical Waste Found in Clean-Up Drives
A Pak-EPA and Nestlé Pakistan clean-up ahead of World Environment Day 2026 recovered discarded syringes, hospital waste, and large volumes of plastic from the shoreline. Officials called the find a serious risk to both public health and aquatic life.
- Nine million gallons of sewage were reported entering the dam daily, per Senate committee findings
- Untreated waste from Bani Gala, Bhara Kahu, Murree and Bara Kahu nullahs remains a primary contamination source
- Satellite imagery from Suparco shows the dam’s water shifting from greenish to a darker, blackish hue over two decades
CDA’s Cleanliness Campaign and Legal Action Against Litterers
The CDA’s Solid Waste Management Directorate launched a comprehensive cleanliness campaign around Rawal Dam under Chairman and Chief Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa. Fines have since been issued to restaurants, housing societies and commercial centres caught littering near the reservoir.
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Randhawa opened the drive to civil society, students and residents, framing it as a collective rather than purely administrative effort.
“Together, we can safeguard the beauty of Rawal Dam and ensure a cleaner, greener capital city,” he said, urging wider public participation.
JazzWorld’s ESG Track Record: From Earth Hour to Emission Testing
Beyond the Rawal Dam cleanliness drive, JazzWorld has run a vehicular emission testing exercise with the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and district administration at its own headquarters. More than 100 vehicles were checked for compliance.
That drive targeted Scope 1 fleet emissions and Scope 3 commuting-related emissions, part of a wider decarbonization framework the company says guides its network optimization and renewable-energy adoption plans across operations.
Recent Environmental Drives Around Rawal Dam
Initiative | Lead Organisation(s) | Focus Area | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rawal Dam Cleanliness Campaign | CDA | Litter removal, fines on violators | Since Oct 2025 |
| World Environment Day Clean-Up | Pak-EPA, Nestlé Pakistan | Plastic and medical waste removal | June 2026 |
| Earth Hour Observance | JazzWorld, CDA, MCI | Energy conservation | April 2026 |
| Vehicular Emission Testing | JazzWorld, Pak-EPA | Fleet and commuting emissions | 2026 |
| Islamabad Garbage Collection Contract | CDA | City-wide waste collection | Bidding, 2026 |
What Officials and Data Are Saying About Water Pollution Control
Funding gaps remain the elephant in the room. A sewage treatment plant project for the dam’s catchment area was costed at Rs6.1 billion, yet the federal government allocated just Rs100 million for fiscal year 2025-26.
Officials directly involved describe the mismatch bluntly. “The contaminated water in Korang and other nullahs is a major issue and should be resolved on a priority basis,” one CDA-linked official noted, pointing to years of delayed contract awards.
What This Means for Islamabad and Rawalpindi Residents
For residents downstream, the Rawal Dam cleanliness drive is less about optics than outcomes. WASA supplies roughly 55 million gallons of water daily to Rawalpindi from the reservoir, meaning contamination upstream has direct consequences for households.
Corporate participation from firms like JazzWorld adds visibility and resources, but the underlying fix — functioning treatment plants and consistent funding still rests with government bodies. Whether this latest round of drives changes that trajectory remains to be seen.
