The Planning Commission (PC) and the Ministry of Environment (MoE) have sought comments from the Water and Power Ministry on 'National Drinking Water Policy' (NDWP) with observations that it would be feasible if the NDWP became a part of the 'National Water Policy' (NWP) being drafted.
The comments from Water and Power ministry on the draft of NDWP are still awaited, sources told Business Recorder on Sunday. They said that if the Water and Power Ministry decided that the NDWP should become a part of the NWP, approval of 'NWP' by the Cabinet would be delayed further.
According to sources, the MoE had sought comments from the Cabinet and Planning Divisions to clarify the position whether it was authorised to formulate, and implement, the NDWP, which is ready for submission to the Cabinet for approval. The issue has been raised at a time when the Environment Ministry has finalised almost everything about the NDWP, sources said.
The MoE has come forward with NDWP and it wants that the draft of the policy should be included in the Water and Power Ministry's 'National Water Policy' if the NDWP was not feasible to be implemented separately. The 'NWP', prepared by the Water and Power Ministry, is already with the Cabinet. However, the approval from the Cabinet has not come.
The MoE and PC are confused on their separate roles. The MoE has the authority of formulating and implementing 'NDWP' under rules of business stipulated in the Constitution. Under the constitutional provisions, the MoE is responsible only for looking after water, sanitation and sewerage standards in urban areas. A policy formulation by the MoE at national level that addresses problems for urban as well as rural population is still a question.
Due to this confusion, the 'NDWP' could not be approved despite the fact that last year, 2007, was the deadline for approval and implementation of the policy. The 'policy' is considered to be an important measure to help the government achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) concerning access to safe drinking water that is an important tool to control the increasing number of water borne diseases.
The draft of the policy envisages enactment of 'Safe Drinking Water Act' to ensure adherence to technical and supply standards for municipal water supply and hold municipal bodies accountable to the general public. The 'Act' would also declare 'safe drinking water' a fundamental human right that it is the responsibility of the state to ensure provision of safe drinking water to all citizens.
Appropriate legislation would be enacted to ensure compliance with Pakistan Drinking Water Quality Standards and to affix appropriate penalties for any institution, or individual, not adhering to the standards. The drinking water quality standards should be formally adopted by provincial governments through appropriate legislation and proper measures undertaken to ensure its enforcement.
According to sources, the draft of the policy encourages and supports the rainfall harvesting schemes for augmenting municipal water supply. The policy also strongly advocates the establishment of water testing laboratories at the district level. The Ministry of Health (MoH) is tasked to develop drinking water quality standards for the country. The MoH will use the WHO drinking water quality guidelines.
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