Punjab

Potable water: Filter plants to be installed in 25,000 villages in 18 months

Meeting held to review progress of Saaf Pani project

Our Correspondent August 23, 2016

The government has already allocated a budgetary grant of Rs30 billion for the project. PHOTO: RASHID AJMERI/EXPRESS

LAHORE: The government has set a target to install water filtration plants in 25,000 villages of the province in coming 18 months. It has directed the Punjab Saaf Pani Company (PSPC) to complete filtered potable water schemes.

PSPC Managing Director Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry said community-based organisations (Saaf Pani Tanzeems) were being set up at village level where reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plants, ultra-filtration plants or tube wells with distribution pipelines would be installed.

Chaudhry was addressing a meeting on Tuesday. Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja chaired the meeting. PSPC Manager Hina Ibrar and S&GAD Additional Secretary Sahibzadi Wasima Umer were present.

The PSPC MD said these community-based organisations would provide five marla land in each village for installation of water treatment plants or tube-wells and would be responsible for devising water distribution system at mohalla and village level. “Design consultants hired by the company have already started identification of probable underground potable water reservoirs in thousands of villages in the province. Feasibility studies are being finalised along with the engineering estimates. The bids in this regard have been invited till August 31 and the contracts will be awarded in September,” he said.

He said in the first phase of the project was being completed in 18 southern districts of the province, including Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan. “Eighteen filtration plants have been installed till now. Around 36 RO water treatment plants will be installed till September 15,” he said. Khawaja reviewed the organisational structure and key performance indicators (KPI) of the PSPC during the meeting. He directed the officials to establish a core management team.

A total of 56 million rural residents will benefit from these water filtration plants. The government has already allocated a budgetary grant of Rs30 billion for the project.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2016.