Water conservation, urban flooding discussed

LAHORE : The 18th International Meeting of Pakistan Water Operators Network was held here on Saturday to discuss water conservation and ways to tackle urban flooding.

Wasa MD Syed Zahid Aziz as chairman of Pakistan Water Operators Network presided over the meeting which was participated by the heads of water and drainage facilities in the country, including the chiefs of Karachi, Quetta, Hyderabad, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Abbottabad, Mardan and Swat. The purpose of the meeting is to bring together all the water-related institutions of the country.

Water issues are a matter of urgency, said Syed Zahid Aziz, adding urban flooding has become a big challenge across the country. All the institutions presented their problems in the meeting and discussed for lasting solutions. Swat was also elected as a member of Pwan by consensus of all the members. The representatives of international donor agencies also attended the meeting online. The representatives from Denmark and France from French Development Agency and Japan JICA also participated.

Syed Zahid Aziz said international donor agencies are keenly interested in assisting the water sector in Pakistan. All the members gave presentations in the meeting and presented their issues.