Rawalpindi
The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) is finding it hard to meet its expenditure as it is facing financial crunch for a couple of years.
Talking exclusively to ‘The News’ here on Friday, Wasa Managing Director Raja Shaukat expressed his concern over the hardships being faced by the agency in paying salaries, utility bills and other liabilities only because of poor monetary situation.
He said that the Wasa has minimal resources to generate revenue, foremost of which is water tariff. Last time, water tariff was raised in the year 2009. However, since then despite increase made in electricity rates and other things, Wasa never raised the rates of water with the objective of not putting burden on the consumers.
Raja Shaukat said now when the situation is going out of hand because of financial crisis existing in the body, there is great need to increase the tariffs of water which would certainly improve the otherwise crippling economic situation of the agency.
Elaborating, managing director cleared if the agency manages to pay the salaries of the employees, then the payment of utility bills, doing maintenance and repair works of water and sewerage remains suspended due to lack of funds.
Replying to a question related to announcement of funds to Wasa made by the Punjab government couple of months ago, Raja Shaukat agreed to it and said that the amount has yet to be released by the provincial government.
It is pertinent to note that over the last four to five years, the Punjab government has not allocated funds to Wasa and the department on self reliance base has been working on several projects major of which is dredging of Nullah Leh each year to prevent flood havoc in monsoon season. Besides this, works like replacement of old and rusty water as well as sewerage pipelines were done by Wasa on self generated resources. Despite the fact of not getting allocation of funds from the provincial government, the agency till this time had been managing to meet expenditures successfully particularly payment of monthly salaries to all its employees including regular, contractual and those working on daily wages.
Because of present economic crisis, Wasa though requires staff is failing to appoint new ones .
Similarly, some four years back, Wasa in order to improve its falling revenue situation, had made increase in tariff by 25 to 30 per cent, however, because of great opposition made by the then ruling parliamentarians at local level and on directions of Punjab Chief Minister, Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif revived the old rates of water.