Wasa postsfirst-ever female XEN operations

LAHORE: Dispelling the impression of male dominance in field jobs, Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has posted its first-ever female XEN to perform field operations in one of the toughest area of the provincial metropolis.

Quba Khalid, a BSc in Civil Engineering from University of Engineering, joined Wasa in 2010, since then, she had aimed for a posting in field operations where she could work like all the other Wasa officials.

She has also performed duties as a Waste Water Treatment SDO and deputy director, training, in the organisation. She has been posted as XEN (Operations and Maintenance) Ravi Town II on September 1, 2018.

Her new posting will pave the way for other female SDOs in Wasa in getting tasks and assignments in field operations, said Wasa Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz. He said she was posted to dispel the impression that only men could work in Wasa Operations and Maintenance.

Talking to The News, Quba Khalid, replying to a question regarding his posting as XEN in Operations & Maintenance, she said she felt encouraged and thankful to the management for posing confidence in her.

“My appointment will empower women in other civic agencies and I am confident that women can do better than men in this sector especially while handling public complaints,” she said, adding she was confident of overcoming any challenge and performing her job in any difficult situation, like her men counterpart.

To a question as to what she has to tell other women willing to take up a similar job, she said women cold work on such posts better than men as they knew how to handle the public. “Increasing deployment of female officers to operations significantly contributes to achieving sustainable and improved working”, she said.

She has to serve the areas of Data Nagar, Misiri Shah, Badami Bagh, Garhi Shahu, GPO, Laxmi Chowk, Kashmir Road, Circular Road and several areas of Northern Lahore. Besides, she will directly handle public complaints, de-silting of drainage, tube-wells, disposal, water supply and sewerage. Giving a message to all working women, she said “All of you are qualified, confident and equal to your male colleagues, but in some aspects, you can perform better than them. Consider yourselves as a better human being and serve the public.”

She said water and sanitation concerns were of great magnitude. She said not surprisingly, 40 percent of the world’s school-age children had worm infections, predisposing them to cognitive and developmental problems. It is further estimated that 5,000 children die every day from diseases because of lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.