Respite in summer: NGOs donate water filtration plants to prisons

Prisons IG says they are planning to open herbal clinics at jails

LAHORE: Water filtration plants have been installed at 30 prisons in the province with the help of philanthropists and non-government organisations, Prisons Inspector General Mian Farooq Nazir said on Sunday.

He said electric water coolers had also been installed at prisons so that inmates could get some respite from the oppressive heat. “We are now looking to set up herbal clinics in prisons,” he said.

Nazir said that they had installed 42 filtration plants which had cost more than Rs500 million. “They will not only provide inmates access to safe drinking water, but will also check water-borne diseases among them.” He said the inmates, jail staff and their families, living in residential areas of the prisons, would benefit from the water filtration plants. “We will install 20 additional filtration plants soon.”

The Prisons IG said a water turbine, installed at the Multan District Jail, had been out of order for a long time. “We have repaired that at a cost of Rs3 million.” He said a new water turbine had been installed at the Multan Jail for Women at a cost of Rs4 million.

The proposed herbal clinics will be set up in collaboration with Qarshi Foundation in 18 prisons, Nazeer said. The Qarshi Foundation would regularly send the clinics herbal medicines and trained tabeebs (herbal medicine professionals).

Operating costs for each clinic would come up to Rs150,000 each month and the Qarshi Foundation would bear these expenses, he said.

He said three clinics were being set up at the Mianwali Central Jail, the Jhang District Jail and Okara District Jail. Work on the clinics would be completed in about two months.

The IG said with the help of philanthropists, 20,000 blankets had been provided to inmates during winters in 2012; 15,850 blankets in 2013; 20,730 blankets in 2014; and 11,000 blankets had been provided to prisoners in 2015.

The Qarshi Foundation and Madina Group of Industries, Faisalabad, had provided 100 electric water cooler fans in various prisons in 2013 at a cost of Rs2.75 million. Pak Fans, Gujrat, had donated 715 fans costing Rs3million and the Qarshi Foundation had given 460 fans for prisoners in various jails in the Punjab.

He said in 2014, the Qarshi Foundation had provided 200 electric water cooler fans. He said the Qarshi Foundation had also donated utensils worth Rs20 million at various prisons.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2016.