The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) is all set to install the first water filtration plant in February as a part of the Punjab government’s initiative to ensure potable water for the people.
It will be the first water filtration plan since the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government came to power in Punjab in 2008. Around 40 water filtration plants are to be installed at the cost of Rs 42 million, while 20 will be installed in the first phase. All plants will be installed at tube wells.
PUMPING POISON: This development came after the LDA, taking notice of the Environment Protection Department’s (EPD) report that revealed the presence of high levels of arsenic in WASA’s 253 tube-wells in July last year, ordered WASA to provide clean water to people.
Per EPD’s report, of the 392 tube wells as many as 253—almost 90 per cent—were pumping arsenic-contaminated water, posing serious health hazards to the citizens. PU Chemistry Department seconded EPD’s report, which was also counter-checked by Atomic Absorption Tests.
All the water filtration plants installed during former district nazim Amir Mehmood’s tenure have been dysfunctional due to lack of maintenance by Punjab Local Government and Community Development Department.
WASA Managing Director Javed Iqbal told Pakistan Today that NESPAK engaged with WASA to provide assistances on technical grounds while selection of firms and supervision had been completed. After the prequalification process that would be finalised by the end of January, selected firms would start installing filtration plants in February.
WASA Project Director Shakeel Ahmed said UET report found some tube wells supplying arsenic-ridden water but the number reported was less than that reported by EPA. “Arsenic is regarded as a slow poison and is present in rocks, soil, air, plants and animals and its long-term use can cause various cancers. The element, being tasteless, odorless and colourless, cannot be detected easily,” he added.
MUSHARRAF ERA PLAN
‘FILTERED OUT’: Sources in WASA revealed that WASA’s Water Filtration Plant Programme had nothing to do with Clean Drinking Water for ALL (CDWA) earlier planned by federal government during the Musharraf regime. Sources said Punjab government had shelved the CDWA project designed to install 3,494 water filtration plants, a brainchild of Musharraf, after tracing loopholes and kickbacks in the execution of project initiated in 2004.
The project, costing more than Rs 12 billion, was started when WHO, National Council for Water Research and a number of other research organisations revealed that the water supplied to the citizens was not fit for human consumption and UNICEF disclosed that 20 to 40 percent beds were occupied in the hospitals by patients suffering from water-related diseases.
Then Federal Ministry of Environment presented the CDWA project to install two types of plants, ultra-filtration and reverse osmosis plants, to the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council chaired by the Chief Executive of Pakistan Pervaiz Musharraf in February 2001, and got it approved in 2004. Local Government Board senior official told Pakistan Today that after PML-N Punjab government came into power in 2008, it had planned to wind up the CDWL project, since it was a relic of the Musharraf era. Because the project belonged to federal government, it could not be implemented in the province, he added. “However, under 18th Amendment, the project has now fallen in the provincial periphery and the project can easily be gotten rid of,” he added. Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah already termed CDWA project a fraud of billions of rupees during Punjab Assembly session on March 25, 2011. PA Speaker Rana Iqbal had also formed a committee to probe into non-completion of the water filtration plants scheme. “The committee was to meet on March 30 but the session was barred to hold discussion on the issue on the direction of Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif,” PML-N MPA told Pakistan Today. Government also found the scheme, he said, a burden thrown on the provinces by the federal government without their consent, forcing them to install the plants at rates said to be much higher than in the open market.
TECHNICAL ERRORS AND
CORRUPTION: Apart from the above fact, he added, Punjab government also detected technical errors and illegal commissions in the project. With a view to cap the project, third party audit would be conducted as ceremonial work, he added.
An official in Public Health Engineering Department said Punjab government objected that some of the companies selected by the federal ministry had links with people sitting in the federal government. Another objection was that federal government promised to pay Rs 12.2 billion but paid only Rs 3.8 billion in 2010. “Federal government signed the agreement for the installation of the filtration plants against the deal of Rs 3 million for single and Rs 8 million for double filtration plant while the actual worth of the same plant was found to be just Rs 0.6 million in the open market,” he added.
Financial leaks worth Rs4.47 billion also surfaced in the project since ultra-filtration plants were acquired against payment of unit prices ranging between Rs1. 71 million and Rs2.82 million against the market price of Rs1.2 million, whereas, the per unit cost of osmosis plant was Rs2.6 million and Rs 7.8 million had been paid.
Above all, official of WASA Engineering Branch told Pakistan Today, that if filtration plants were installed, they could not last longer due to higher cost of maintenance. Complete infrastructure required to repair and keep the filtration plants operational were missing at town level, he added. According to the official in CM’s Secretariat, of the 3, 494 water filtration plants, around 212 had been installed across Punjab while 38 had been installed in Lahore. AA Flowmatic Engineering was awarded the contract to install 540 water filtration plants, Syed Bhais 768, KSB Pumps Company 793, Amin Brothers Engineers 782 and Tauseef Enterprises 611 in Punjab.
This is totally misleading and factually incorrect. It was a very well conceived project and had the potential to completely change the lives of the poor in Punjab. The project was designed by NESPAK water experts with supply, Installation as well as 3 year Operation and maintenance of the plants that included spares, remote monitoring, and training of local staff. The cost of the plant included supply of plant , prefab room, civil works, and its installation and certification from PCSIR or equivalent. The contract price also included monthly water testing and certification. In fact all the negative lobbying in the Punjab Govt has been carried out by certain individuals with vested interests. In addition these plants had been sourced only from EU or US with European or american certifications.
This can be seen from the plants in operation today. That is even after the suspension of the contract for last 1.5 years.
All the focus is on water treatment in which lot of money and kick backs are involved. No body is ready to invest on removing the causes of water contamination, most important of which are untreated sewage and industrial effluents.
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