FAISALABAD:
State Minister for Water and Power Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali and Ambassador of Japan in Pakistan Hiroshi Inomata on Friday inaugurated a project worth Rs1 billion to upgrade the mechanical system for sewerage and drainage services of the Water and Sanitation Agency in Faisalabad.
The inauguration ceremony was held on Narowal Road.
According to a statement issued by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the torrential rains of 2010 had inundated Faisalabad city, causing massive damage to its sewerage system which had low capacity. There was also shortage of pumps and cleaning equipment for drains and sewers.
The statement said pump capacities needed to be increased in order to improve and maintain flow capacities of sewers and channels. It said the number of pumps on standby also needed to be increased in order to allow the WASA to manage drainage during rainy season. Disposal station capacities also needed to be increased, the statement said.
Under the project, equipment worth Rs1 billion has been provided by the government of Japan to improve the sewerage system of Pakistan’s third most populous city.
Minister Chaudhry Abid Sher Ali inaugurated the event on behalf of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif who could not make it. Ali thanked the government of Japan for the equipment and said the support would go a long way in improving the quality of life. He said the government was working hard to make Faisalabad a model city though mega development projects. He said they were upgrading the drainage facilities and working on projects to provide drinking water to citizens as well.
Ali said the government had allotted Rs5 billion for a project that would provide drinking water to most of the population of the Faisalabad city. He said this would enhance people’s quality of life and keep them safe from various water-borne diseases.
The minister said Pakistan and Japan enjoyed excellent relations which had only strengthened over time. He thanked the people of Japan on behalf of the residents of Faisalabad. He assured the government’s full support to the JICA and said the countries’ love and friendship would continue.
Ambassador Hiroshi Inomata said Japan had been involved in several projects for at least a decade to improve water and sanitation in Faisalabad.
He expressed hope that the experience gained by the WASA, through the project, would be used to benefit the people of Pakistan. He said the machinery provided by the government of Japan would help build WASA’s capacity in cleanup operations and drainage. He expressed his commitment regarding Pakistan and Japan’s friendship and said he hoped it would strengthen in the future.
Minister for Housing Malik Tanvir Aslam also thanked the people of Japan for their support and said the machinery and equipment would help in efficient disposal of waste water and storm water in Faisalabad city.
He said on the request of the provincial government, the JICA was considering supporting the WASA on three projects: preparing a master plan for supply of drinking water; a sewerage and drainage system in the city; the replacement of water pumps and upgrading the Jhal Khanuana Water Treatment Plant. He said a JICA adviser had been working with the WASA to build institutional capacity for the past year.
He said these projects would be implemented in accordance with the chief minister’s promise to provide drinking water to every citizen soon. He said Pakistan was celebrating its 62nd year of felicitous ties with Japan and the project would remain alive in the hearts of the citizens of Faisalabad for many years to come.
JICA Pakistan Chief Mitsuyoshi Kawasaki highlighted the significance of the project and said the machinery and equipment provided would be used to clean the water and drainage system and cope with monsoon season floods as well.
He said he hoped that the government would be successful in providing efficient water services to the people of Punjab.
WASA Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz said the JICA had provided the agency sewer jetting machines, sewer suction machines, dumping trucks, crane-mounted trucks, back-hoe excavators, self-priming dewatering sets, sewage pumps for disposal stations and generators for disposal stations.
The inaugural ceremony was also attended by parliamentarians Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, Dr Nisar Jat, Begum Khalida Mansur, Sheikh Ejaz Ahmad, Mian Tahir Jamil, Haji Khalid Saeed, Dr Najma Afzal, Embassy of Japan First Secretary Yuchi Kuroda; JICA Representatives Deputy Resident Mehmud Jilani, Hamano, Yariasato, Shoji Takamtsu; Housing Secretary Arshid Mehmud, Commissioner Capt (retd) Nasim Nawaz, Regional Police Officer Ehsan Tufail, DCO Noorul Amin Mengal, DPO Sohail Tajak, FCCI president Rizwan Ashraf and civil society members.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2014.
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