Users asked to legalise water connections

LAHORE:Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) announced a fresh one month long amnesty scheme for commercial water connection owners to legalise their connections; otherwise, strict punitive action would be taken against them, including disconnection as well as heavy fines and auction of properties.

Wasa Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz and Vice-Chairman Sheikh Imtiaz Mehmood announced the amnesty scheme for private companies, offices, hotels, factories, service stations, residential societies and any others who were using injector pumps, tube-wells or any other source to extract water from underground.

“All those who are extracting underground water should get themselves registered with Wasa by getting Aquifer Licence from Director Hydrology Wasa until March 19, 2020,” said Wasa MD, adding after this period Wasa will take punitive action.

Talking about the impact of this amnesty scheme, Wasa MD said that approximately 20,000 consumers would avail this scheme. He said Wasa’s revenue had increased after the introduction of a similar amnesty scheme for domestic consumers some months back. He said this scheme would also put a very positive impact on Wasa’s revenue. “The main theme behind these schemes is to make the consumers realise that there is no free water now. The consumers have to pay for the water they use and this thought would force them to rationalise their water use,” Wasa MD maintained. He said that the agency had implemented the SOPs of Ease of Doing Business model of the provincial government and anyone volunteering for the scheme would be facilitated fully.

Talking about Wasa’s upcoming projects, he said paper work on surface water treatment project was almost completed and the agency was engaged in the process of land acquisition. He said similarly tunnel boring project was also in the pipeline and the city would witness a big change once it is completed.

Session: An event titled Quality Antenatal Care Awareness Programme was organised by Prof Dr Aisha Malik, chairperson, Department of Obst & Gynae at Lady Willingdon Hospital, Lahore, in collaboration with the Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists of Pakistan (SOGP) Lahore chapter.

A very informative session on antenatal care was held. KEMU vice-chancellor presided over the session. He talked about the need for achieving excellence in antenatal care health services and discussed his vision about implementing the same in the allied hospitals of KEMU. He also appreciated the efforts of Prof Aisha Malik and Department of Gynaecology, KEMU, and its allied hospitals for conducting the awareness programme. Later, a question-answer session regarding antenatal care was conducted and the nursing staff, students and senior faculty participated in it.