CM Mahmood Khan for solarisation of tube-wells in KP

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has directed the Public Health Engineering Department to undertake pragmatic steps for solarization of tube-wells throughout the province to address the issue of low voltage.

Chairing a meeting on the progress review of developmental schemes of the PHE department, the chief minister said that the supplementary grant of Rs1200 million for PHE Department would be entertained on priority basis which would ensure completion of 300 schemes by June 2020. He also directed the department to undertake steps to enhance the revenue generation along with ensuring 100 per cente-bidding of all schemes.

Briefing the chief minister, the officials said that solarization of water supply schemes in Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan were done as these were previously nonfunctional due to low voltage. Under the solarization initiative, 600 water supply schemes have been solarized which apart from saving Rs600 million per annum has also saved 18 megawatt electricity to the national grid.

The chief minister was informed that the total number of water supply schemes in the province were 5959 which was serving 18.76 million people of the province out of a total population of 26.64 million. The total coverage of existing water supply schemesis 70.4 per cent. Under the water charges and recovery, the chief minister was told that 21 per cent increase in revenue had been recorded for which special campaigns on water charges recovery were held in addition to removal of 4200 unauthorized connections.

With regards to the Annual Development Programme for merged tribal districts, 83 per cent of the released funds have been utilized so far whereas master planning for the merged districts is currently being prepared. The PHE department has also undertaken various pilot projects which include water conservation and artificial recharge under which rainwater, after cleansing, will be injected through bore to raise the level of groundwater.

To improve services delivery, citizens can now apply for water connection online whereas the PHE department has also undertaken steps for replacement of damage pumping machinery within 24 hours, ensuring one window operation for addressing complaints about consumers and establishment of citizen facilitation centres in each PHE division. For improving the standards, street pavement design has been enhanced and GI pipes will be replaced with HDPE and PVC pipes.

The mega projects completed by PHED include gravity-based water supply schemes(WSS) in Abbottabad at an estimated cost of Rs4280 million, WSS Chitral Town from Golen Gol at Rs320 million, WSS Drosh Chitral with Rs160 million and gravity WSS Batkhela which has been completed at an estimated cost of Rs.785 million.

Similarly, mega-projects currently being implemented include WSS Shakardar and Rahmanabad from river Indus, WSS from Lawaghar Dam to Karak City, WSS from Lawaghar to various UCs of Karak, sewerage and drainage scheme for Dera Ismail Khan, construction of Utla dam and rehabilitation of gravity flow of water supply schemes in Abbottabad whereas the projects under consideration include gravity flow WSS Mansehra, gravity-based WSS in Mingora Swat, gravity-based WSS in Havelian, WSS in District Tank and solarization of 800 schemes through CPEC.

For improving the water quality throughout the province, the chief minister was informed that inspection of WSS had been initiated and water safety plans for WSS were being prepared. For monitoring of water quality, eight water quality testing labs with two sub-labs and one mobile lab have been established. Eight mobile water quality testing labs are near completion whereas an MoU was signed with UET in water quality and research. Likewise, water quality profile has been prepared for five districts, testing of samples from source as well as consumers are being carried out and monthly reports for water quality tests are regularly being submitted. Figures made available by PHED state that 268 WSS and 243 sanitation schemes were completed during the previous year. Fourteen existing and nine new tube wells were solarized, 67 WSSs were rehabilitated and the Phase-I of sewerage scheme for Dera Ismail Khan city has been completed. Similarly, the Phase-II of the sewerage scheme for Dera Ismail Khan city and water supply schemes for Rahmandabad and Shakardara in Kohat were in progress.