Water & Sanitation Agency (WASA) Faisalabad is contemplating to start meter-based billing from September this year, disclosed Managing Director WASA Faqir Mohammad Chaudhary. Addressing a progress review meeting of WASA, he said that a pilot project to introduce meter-based billing of water supply has already been launched in Sarfraz Colony where at least 43 meters have been installed while during next few months remaining 550 meters would also be installed.
About the overall performance of WASA, he said that it has completed many projects relating to water supply and sewerage while many more are in the construction phase. MD WASA said that in order to promote the prudent use of potable water and gradually increasing demand of potable water, a comprehensive awareness campaign would be launched in the pilot area. "It will discourage the abuse of most precious asset of potable water," he added.
He appreciated the co-operation of JICA to continuously improve the water supply and sewerage system in the third largest city of Pakistan and said that people of this city are indebted to the gracious financial and technical support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Yarai Sato, team leader JICA said that billing tariff of WASA was frozen in 2006 that has multiplied the financial problems of WASA as its expenditures are increasing every year. Hence, the water tariff should be rationalized to make WASA self-sustainable in addition to improving the quality of its services to the consumers.
He said that the provision of services is directly linked with the financial sustainability and no institution could maintain its quality standard without improving its system. He observed that expenditures, salaries and pension of WASA employees are regularly increasing every year but the billing tariff of WASA is stagnant since 2006 and in this situation WASA cannot attain financial sustainability.
During the meeting Takashi Dairaku and Tetsuya Murakami gave a presentation about the project while MD WASA assured full co-operation to JICA team on behalf of the working group of WASA and directed to complete the given targets within the stipulated time frame.
The meeting was also attended by Director P&D Adnan Nisar, Deputy Director Technical Rohan Javed, Senior Research Officer Farhat Adeeba, Deputy Director Asad, Deputy Director Finance Imran Butt, Deputy Director Farhan Akram, Deputy Director Farhan Ali, and GIS specialist Bareerah Anam and Samreen Ashraf.