United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (Unicef) will spend US $30 million on rehabilitation of water and sanitation in the earthquake ravaged areas, said its Officer Incharge, Muhammad Munir Safieldin here on Saturday.
Briefing the newsmen here at Muzaffarabad Municipal Corporation Office, Safieldin said that clean drinking water was restored to more than 80 percent population of Muzaffarabad because of the water treatment plants with the collaboration of the ministry of environment and Unicef.
"Though it is a tremendous achievement, yet all is not done," he said and called for collective and co-ordinated efforts to restore potable water and sanitation facilities, which were totally disrupted by the earthquake.
"Two months after the earthquake that flattened entire cities and badly damaged water supply and sanitation system, efforts are afoot to bring water supplies, sanitation facilities and good hygiene practices to the affected population and much remains to be done," he said adding that the situation was getting better and better but could not be said satisfactory.
Minister for Environment, Major Tahir Iqbal (Retd) said that Nust teams would be asked to collect data of water reservoirs to ascertain its level for sustainable supply in the affected areas.
The ministry of environment, he said is committed to take every step required to ensure better environmental conditions and to avert an epidemic in the affected areas.
The government, he said, has distributed more than Rs 17 billion among the victims in the form of compensation. He said that the ministry of environment has set up treatment plant to provide clean drinking water to the people.
Giving the details, Zahid Hussain Kashif of Municipal Corporation Muzaffarabad, said that MCM along with Unicef was striving to restore civic facilities in Muzaffarabad.
Director General Local Government, Chaudhry Ghazanfar Ali said that the water supply both in the rural as well as urban areas, which were disrupted, are being restored with the help of Unicef.
State Officer, Muzaffarabad Development Authority, Abdul Latif Khokhar said that the authority which has been tasked to access the total damage of public and private property was badly needed financial assistance to train the people who could conduct survey. Later the media men were taken to the water filtration plants and different camps to see for themselves the facilities put in place jointly by the Unicef and Ministry of Environment.
Three water supply plants with the daily production of more than 6,0000 gallons of water are operational to meet the water needs of 15 million people in Muzaffarabad.
Ministry of environment and Unicef have taken a number of measures including mobilisation of "Rahbers" and "Cleanliness Drive" to create awareness among the people. Thousands of tent-to-tent communicators, or "Rahhers", were tasked to persuade families in camps to practise good hygiene and water and sanitation practices.
Fortnightly "Cleanliness Drives" were being organised to mobilise people to clean their living space, hospital/medical camp, neighbourhood, camp etc.
Community TV Corners will be organised at strategic locations and equipped with television sets and DVD players.
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