Saudi govt to execute Rs2 bn water supply scheme in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Babar Saleem Swati has said that mega water supply scheme, which was earlier scrapped by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, would now be executed by the government of Saudi Arabia.

"The PTI government is committed to addressing the chronic water issue in the city and its suburbs and soon launch the mega water supply scheme with the financial assistance of Saudi government," Swati told a news conference here on Monday.

He said that talks of provincial government with Saudi government had almost been completed and soon Chief Minister Mahmood Khan would inaugurate the Rs2 billion project. "The underground water level has drastically plunged in the city and its suburbs complicating water scarcity issue which needs to be addressed without any further delay," Swati said.

To a query, he said that JICA had declined to execute the water supply scheme after the matching grant for the scheme was not sanctioned. He said that Mansehra had got a strategic position since being the centre of China Pakistan Economic Corridor. "Now our planning would be of international standards to welcome international investment here," said the lawmaker.