LAHORE: Though the PTI’s government has widely propagated giving a special emphasis on providing clean drinking water across the province, the Punjab government has increased the budgetary allocations for water and sanitation by only 10 percent compared to the previous fiscal year.
During the year 2018-19, the government allocated Rs20.5 billion while this year the allocations were increased to Rs22.4 billion. It is pertinent to mention here that during the year 2017-18, the PML-N government allocated Rs57.477 billion for water and sanitation. In 2013-14, Punjab government had allocated Rs10.868 billion for the purpose, in 2015-16 it was Rs13.047 billion, and in 2016-17 it reached up to Rs45 billion.
According to the budget document, Rs22.400 billion have been allocated in ADP 2019-20, out of which, Rs12.177 billion were allocated for the ongoing schemes, which is 45 percent of the total budget while Rs10.22 billion were allocated for new schemes.
As per the budget document, provision of adequate safe drinking water and sanitation facilities to the entire rural and urban communities of Punjab through equitable, efficient and sustainable services is the vision of the government.
The new policy emphasised on providing safe drinking water at premises, available when needed and free from contamination on sustainable basis to the whole province in addition to acquiring and adopting improved knowledge about safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in their daily life.
The new sanitation policy has envisioned developing a safely managed sanitation environment for all citizens of the province, contributing towards high quality life in Punjab. The government will achieve this goal by improving standards of public health through provision of improved services backed by legal, regulatory and binding framework, laying down a roadmap for mobilisation of resources to ensure provision of clean drinking water and upgraded sanitation system to all by targeted timelines, assigning a priority to un-served and under-served areas, focusing on capacity building of local governments and promoting public-private partnerships to improve the operation and maintenance of water supply & sanitation schemes, to raise living standard of communities by providing quality drinking water and improved sanitation services and to reduce the spread of water borne diseases.
Under the strategic interventions, the government will put special focus on timely completion of schemes to avoid cost overrun. In the present budget, the government has allocated Rs8billion for provision of clean drinking water by Punjab Abe Pak Authority, Rs3.8 billion are allocated for execution of 318 on-going water supply schemes, Rs8.36billion are allocated for execution of 1,344 on-going sanitation schemes, Rs917million are allocated for execution of40 new water supply schemes and Rs1,307million are allocated for execution of 62 new sanitation schemes.
New initiatives and targets of FY 2019-20 included 1,765 water supply & sanitation schemes out of which 817 schemes (including 248 water supply schemes & 569 sanitation schemes) are targeted to be completed by the end of FY 2019-20 at an allocation of Rs15.161billion, provision of clean drinking water by Punjab Abe Pak Authority at an allocation of Rs8billion, mega water supply scheme for Ahmedpur East at an estimated cost of Rs1,050million, rehabilitation/ improvement of sewerage system, District Jhang (Phase-I) at an estimated cost of Rs1,032million, beautification of Taunsa Sharif including provision of street lights, tuff tiles, sewerage and water supply, tehsil Taunsa, district DG Khan at an estimated cost of Rs648.200million, urban sewerage scheme in Toba Tek Singh City at an estimated cost of Rs625million, construction of PCC slab, sewerage/ drainage & water supply schemes, Rokhari, Ghundi, Dilley Wali and Mouch tehsil Isa Khel, district Mianwali at an estimated cost of Rs500million and drainage & soling in Sandu Kalan, Jagga Kalan and Bhune Kee Villages, District Kasur at an estimated cost of Rs500million.
Other schemes included comprehensive sewerage/drainage scheme Fazilpur, Tehsil & District Rajanpur at an estimated cost of Rs405million, provision of sewerage system at for Dij kot District Faisalabad at an estimated cost of Rs400million, solarisation of water supply schemes in Punjab at an estimated cost of Rs200million, provision of drinking water to un-served, underserved, rural and peri-urban areas of Punjab at an allocation of Rs200million, provision of sanitation services to un-served, underserved, rural and peri-urban areas of Punjab at an allocation of Rs200million, promoting the use of safe, hygienic latrines for men, women and children under PATS Programme.
