The Government of Japan has decided to grant a financial support of $ 425,998 to the Japan Mine Action Service (JMAS), a non-governmental organization, to provide safe drinking water for the people in rural areas of Murree.
According to a press release issued here on Tuesday, the JMAS has already implemented water supply project in another area of Murree through Japan’s Grant Assistance from 2009 to 2010, and the beneficiaries of that project are satisfied with the improved access to safe drinking water.
The agreement for the project was signed on Tuesday at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in Islamabad between Mr. Hiroshi OE, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and Mr. Fumitoshi Takakura, representatives of JMAS.
The grant will be utilized for the construction of water supply systems and for the repair of broken water pipes and tanks in Sihanna village, suburb of Murree.
At the same time, JMAS will also teach the maintenance skills of water supply system to the residents in Sihanna.
The purpose of the project is to supply safe drinking water for the residents of the area who have been facing acute water shortage because of inadequate management of the water supply systems. It is hoped that the acute water shortage would be reduced by establishing the proper water supply management system in the rural areas of Murree. Currently, the residents of this area have to spend several hours to fetch water from far-flung areas. This project would help women and girls with easing their hard labor in bringing water from a long distance. It is expected that around 4,400 residents would benefit from this safe drinking water project.
At the signing ceremony, the Japanese Ambassador stressed that the water and sanitation sector was one of the priority areas in Japan’s Assistance Policy for Pakistan, and he thanked JMAS for their successful enforcement of the water supply project since 2009. He also expressed his hope that these projects would lead to improve the fundamental living standards of the people in Pakistan, and contribute to further strengthening the existing friendly relations between the people of Pakistan and Japan.
