Public health: Rs10 billion earmarked for water project

Project aims to provide clean water in five years.

LAHORE:

The government has decided to launch a clean water project which aims to provide safe drinking water to every house in the province in five years. Rs10 billion has been earmarked for the project.

The decision was taken at a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday. It was attended by several lawmakers and heads of government departments.

Sharif said the government had made provision of safe water for people a priority. He said a strategy was being formulated to ensure this.

The chief minister said access to clean drinking water was a basic necessity.



He said Rs5 billion had been originally allocated for the project.

Later, the government had realised that it would not be enough and decided to provide another Rs5 billion.

He said the government aimed to cover water needs of the entire province under the new project. He said the government would especially target those areas where water scarcity problem was most serious.

The chief minister said manpower and technical expertise provided by the Public Health Engineering Department for the project was insufficient and consultants would also be hired to supplement it.

He water filtration plants would be purchased from companies willing to provide post-sale service.

The chief minister also ordered repair of the existing infrastructure under a phased programme.

He said a strategy to treat waste water from factories should also be formulated.

The chief minister said a conference regarding clean drinking water would be arranged.

He directed the Planning and Development Board chairman to take steps for capacity-building of government departments.

The chief minister also sought a report on the progress of the clean water programme in 30 days.

Earlier, Public Health Engineering Secretary Waseem Mukhtar gave a presentation on the clean drinking water project.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2013.