KARACHI: Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput has said that every drop of water supplied to the country’s economic hub would be filtered to ensure supply of clean water to its citizens. He said so while presiding over a meeting of the steering committee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) at the Sindh Secretariat on Wednesday.

The meeting was also attended by Board of Revenue’s senior member Baqaullah Unar, Finance Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro, Local Government Secretary Syed Najam Shah, and Project Director Syed Salahuddin Ahmed, among others. The meeting was briefed on the water supply and sewerage improvement projects in Karachi.

Chief Secretary Rajput said that the provincial government is working for the rehabilitation of the city’s water and sanitation infrastructure. The water supply and sewerage system improvement projects are being implemented in Karachi at a cost of $ 1.6 billion in collaboration with the World Bank.

While briefing the forum, Project Director Salahuddin Ahmed said that key sewerage and water pipelines are being replaced in Karachi on a priority basis. The K-IV augmentation works shall bring water into the city centre. New water filtration plants would be set up and essential rehabilitation work would be carried out.

He further stated that the KWSSIP projects would be completed in four phases, by 2032. Three Katchi Abadis of Karachi are being turned into model localities with funds provided by NGOs and local CBOs. It was decided at the meeting that 250 system and feedback meters would be installed in the mega city to assess the water distribution situation.

Chief Secretary Rajput directed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to conduct energy audit of all water pumping stations and see how the operation and maintenance works could be outsourced by engaging partners under the PPP mode. Meanwhile, a three-member delegation of World Bank led by Andreas Rohde called on Chief Secretary Rajput.

The chief secretary urged the World Bank officials to fund the STP-IV as it is the government’s highest priority project. At the meeting, representatives of the World Bank and the chief secretary agreed to launch of a $300 million project for rehabilitation of water supply and sewerage system in rural areas of Sindh. The chief secretary expressed his resolve to achieve the critical deliverables of reforms in KWSB soon.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022