Water supply: 15 filtration plants to be installed in low-lying areas of City

First plant will be set up in Basti Saidan Shah

LAHORE: “Water is a sensitive issue. We should make serious efforts to save it for coming generations,” World Wide Fund For Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) Water Stewardship Project Senior Project Officer Sohail Ali Naqvi said on Friday.

Naqvi was speaking at an activity organised at an educational institute in Basti Saidan Shah to raise awareness in connection with a project regarding increasing the supply and improving access to safe drinking water in the city. Students from grade-1 to 10 participated in the activity that included colouring, essay writing and critical thinking exercises. WWF-P officials briefed students on the need to sustainably use water and the importance of conserving it. The students were also given the opportunity to ask questions regarding water conservation from WWF-P officials on the occasion. The students expressed their resolve to use water responsibly and raise awareness among their friends and families on this account following the activity’s conclusion.

The WWF-P and Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited (CCBPL) would install 15 water filtration plants in low-lying areas across the city under the project. The first plant would be established at Basti Saidan Shah in Upper Mall area in a few weeks.

A number of parameters were employed to determine sites in this regard. The criteria included quality of water and the commitment of the community to maintain the plant among other determinants. Surveys were also conducted at various sites to determine quality of water at the Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources (PCRWR).

Basti Saidan Shah was the first site selected on the basis of the findings. The installation of the plant there is expected to benefit nearly 9,000 people daily.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2015.