Sewage treatment plant, metres on the cards

The Punjab Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) has decided to install water metres in Rawalpindi and a sewage treatment plant.

The PPPA has decided to conduct a study of these projects before initiating work.

A flat amount is charged from consumers for the water supply by the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). The decision of installation of water metres has been taken owing to the relentless use and theft of water and the steady decline in the groundwater level.

Theft of water through illegal connections is causing financial losses to the WASA every year.

At a meeting chaired by the PPPA director-general, it was decided to install water meters on the WASA network under the PPP model.

The installation of water metres will help improve revenue recovery and eliminate water theft.

Similarly, the installation of the sewage treatment plant has been declared inevitable. The transfer of sewage from across the city will also be borne through the PPP model.

This will not only eliminate the environmental pollution caused by open sewage but also the safe transfer of open sewage to the treatment plant will stop rainwater coming from the catchment areas of Islamabad to enter Nullah Leh. The treated sewage will be used for irrigation purposes.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2021.