Punjab merges five water, sanitation agencies

Initiative aims to establish financial discipline & address public concerns

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab government has detached five Water and Sanitation Agencies (WASAs) from their respective city district governments across the province, placing them under a single authority at the provincial level in the provincial metropolis.

This new administrative structure will be overseen by the Director-General (DG) of WASA Punjab, with a notification expected to be issued soon.

Currently, WASA operates in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan, with each agency being headed by a Managing Director (MD). However, these agencies have previously operated under the Director-General of their respective city district governments, leading to a concentration of focus on the development authorities' activities. As a result, all five WASAs have faced significant financial mismanagement, where expenses far exceed income.

Following the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, a new position of the DG for all five WASAs has been created in Lahore.

Under this new arrangement, the DG will oversee the agencies, with each agency continuing to have its own MD and governing body. The governing body will consist of public representatives and officials from various government departments.

The purpose of this new administrative setup is to establish financial discipline, improve performance, and address issues faced by citizens without delay. The WASA DG will now be directly accountable to the provincial chief executive.