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| Environment ministry finalises drinking water standards |
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
Islamabad
Ministry of Environment has finalised the standards for drinking water that would soon be notified for implementation.
These standards have been finalised as part of the National Action Plan to implement the National Drinking Water Policy approved by the Federal Cabinet in September this year.
“We have finalised the drinking water standards that are in the process of notification,” sources told APP Wednesday. “We are also preparing an action plan for the Policy’s implementation and the provinces have also been asked to prepare their respective strategies,” sources added.
However, sources mentioned the absence of the environment minister as the reason for delay in the notification of the standards, as they are to be approved by the Environment Council.
It is to be mentioned here that the Environment Ministry is working without a minister since Hamidullah Jan Afridi tendered his resignation some time back. “Once the minister is here, the ministry will write to the Prime Minister Secretariat for a meeting,” sources added.
Meanwhile, Director General Environment Javed Ali Khan told this agency that the ministry is moving fast to prepare an action plan, as it has already asked the provinces to prepare their strategies in line with the National Drinking Water Policy.
“We are preparing the Action Plan while the standards are ready for approval and notification thereafter,” he said. “The ministry consulted all stakeholders to identify the permissible purity level and these standards will be implemented across the country once approved by the Council,” he said.
To a question regarding the working mechanism, the DG said under the Action Plan, a monitoring mechanism would be strengthened, the data of water purification would be prepared regularly and the capacity of various departments would be build to ensure proper purification.
“It will be a long term and multi-dimensional strategy where different methods will be exploited to purify drinking water,” he said. “Curtailing pollutants to a permissible limit is our top priority and we are focusing on it,” he said.
He mentioned installation of purification plants at large water storages and use of medication method to purify water at small-scale storages like overhead tanks and pipe water. “A continuous water testing mechanism will also be in place once the plan enters the implementation phase,” he said.
It merits mentioning here that the national kitty suffers billions of rupees loss every year due to water borne diseases. According to a World Bank report, water and sanitation related diseases alone cost the kitty Rs120 billion annually in terms of poor health and ailment.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
