Big cities: Provision of clean drinking water will be part of strategy: minister

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, Khusro Bakhtyar has said that providing clean drinking water to major urban cities will be made a part of development strategy to address the needs of the people in view of fast urban growth. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is committed to according priority to the major urban transport projects of Karachi to cater to public transport requirements of the cosmopolitan city.
The minister was chairing a meeting held to review foreign funded projects here on Monday. Advisor to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Secretary Planning Zafar Hasan and senior officials of the ministry were also present in the meeting. The minister said that Karachi is a major commercial hub of the country and a vital engine of growth. The minister called for according priority to major transport projects of the city including Karachi Sustainable Bus Rapid Transit, Red Transit, Green Line and Karachi Circular Railway.
He further stated that the government knows that major urban centres like Karachi and Quetta are facing issues of safe drinking water as well as sewerage treatment and disposal, adding that the measures will be taken to ensure improved drinking water availability.
The meeting discussed and took an overall view of various foreign-financed projects relating to environment, transport, water and power, and urban development being funded by different funding agencies like World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, JICA and Asian Infrastructure Development Bank. The minister called for reaping benefits from the donors' funding for the welfare of the people and improvement of socio-economic indicators of the country as well.