‘Mega projects underway to tackle city’s water supply problems’

Rawalpindi:Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director (MD) Muhammad Saleem Ashraf has said that mega projects were underway to tackle city’s water supply problems.

The MD said that in order to save and prevent wastage of water, Wasa was taking measures day and night to eliminate the leakages of underground water pipes, which would not only save water but help control dengue. Wasa Rawalpindi would make efforts to repair and renovate mini-filtration plants across the city, he said adding, chlorine would be added to improve water quality and filters would be replaced at water filtration plants. The MD further said that ongoing efforts being made in this regard would be intensified.

It was need of the hour to make every citizen aware of the importance of water, he added. Wasa Rawalpindi was trying to provide clean drinking water to the citizens, he informed. He urged the citizens to cooperate with Wasa and pay their water and sewerage bills on time. Work had been started on mega projects including supply of 12 million gallons of water per day from Chahan Dam, additional five million gallons of water per day from Rawal Dam and uninterrupted supply of water to six union councils of Khayaban Sir Syed, he said.

Asian Development Bank was providing funds for these projects, he said and informed that along with this, rain harvesting system was being installed on 30 different buildings of the city with the support of UN-HABITAT to secure the rain water. Under the project, the rain water would be collected from the roofs in the underground tanks and this water would be used for horticulture. The step would help save clean drinking water, he added.

He asked the officials to further improve the service delivery so as to enable uninterrupted water supply to the citizens particularly during Ramadan. The MD said that the supply of clean drinking water to the citizens was being ensured from the mini-filtration plants during Sehar and Iftar in Ramazan. Solid steps were being taken for immediate repair in case of malfunction of tubewells, he said adding, negligence on part of the officials concerned would not be tolerated.

According to a Wasa spokesman, WASA was working to augment new water sources to overcome the upcoming shortage of water, especially in the Potohar region. He said, Wasa Rawalpindi was making all out efforts to provide clean drinking water to the citizens and all possible efforts were being made in this regard while it was also duty of the citizens to use water carefully.