The government has sent back the 'National Water Policy' (NWP) prepared by Ministry of Water and Power, with the comment that it should be finalised after properly consulting all stakeholders, it is learnt.
"We need a policy for the nation, and not for the Ministry of Water and Power," said an official of PM Secretariat who attended the meeting presided over by the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday.
Asked if the policy had been withdrawn from Cabinet Division after objections raised by provinces, he quoted the Ministry of Water and Power as claiming that Provinces had no objection.
The official quoted Prime Minister as saying that provision of safe clean drinking water, maximum crop with efficient water usage and construction of water storages should be the main focus areas of the policy.
Regarding the telemetry system discarded by Indus River System Authority (Irsa), the official said that the system had been examined by Prime Minister Inspection Commission recently, an hoped that it would be put in place within two weeks. However, an official announcement said that the system would be handed over to Wapda by September 30.
Asked if there was any serious defect in the water monitoring system, the official said that overall it was good, but the defect reported in the press might be due to bad intention of some of the officials.
When asked that the Minister for Water and Power had announced on August 3 that action would be taken against the contractor (Siemens) if defects were not removed within three weeks, the official laughed but did not comment.
According to the official announcement, Prime Minister said that water was a national resource, "and we need to have a comprehensive national policy on water, covering all aspects besides creating awareness among the general public on its intelligent and efficient use to ensure conservation and optimum utilisation of this precious resource".
Aziz said: "Water security is essential to ensure future development of the country, and modern techniques should be employed for management of water related issues."
He said that 'National Water Council' would be constituted to implement and supervise the National Water Policy, which would consult all stakeholders to ensure its implementation including all provincial governments.
The meeting discussed in length the social and economic value of water, its supply and demand position, availability and need for an integrated plan, including prioritisation for utilising water resources.
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