‘Greater Water Supply Scheme’ in Peshawar soon, WSSP tells PHC

PESHAWAR: The Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) has informed the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that the government is going to execute the “Greater Water Supply Scheme” in Peshawar to provide clean drinking water to citizens.

The WSSP, in its reply submitted to the high court, stated that the government has signed a memorandum of understanding on April 24, 2017 with the Chinese government for feasibility study for the Greater Water Supply Scheme Peshawar project and 24/7 Water Supply System and Installation of Water Flow Meters.

The WSSP also submitted the drinking water reports and the tests conducted by the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), Peshawar.

However, the division bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Ijaz Anwar gave some time to the petitioner to verify and cross-check the water testing result with the PCSIR.

The court also directed secretary Irrigation Department to submit report about the position of Peshawar canals and explain what measures have been taken to make the canal water clean and stop supply of dirty and polluted water to the canals in the city.

The court was hearing writ petition filed by Muhammad Khurshid, a former deputy attorney general, seeking the court’s direction for the government to repair the treatment plants installed in Peshawar, provide clean drinking water, ban the use of mineral water of various brands declared injurious, and unsafe drinking water and ban sewerage water entry to the city’s canals.

During hearing, the lawyer informed the court that as per the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) report about Peshawar, the water of 11 out of 70 brands of mineral water used in the city was polluted and drinking water of these brands was causing various diseases of lungs, kidneys, cancer, blood pressure and hepatitis.

He said these substandard and dangerous brands of drinking water were being openly sold in the market, but the government failed to take any action in this regard.

Petitioner Muhammad Khurshid said he approached the PCSIR in Peshawar to take water samples from various areas of the city and other districts and prepare a report on it. He said that the PCSIR asked him to deposit Rs3,000 per test.

He said that he was not in a position to pay for the tests as it was the government’s responsibility to conduct the tests and provide clean drinking water to the citizens.