24 January 2004	Saturday	01 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Jan 23: The Parks and Horticulture Authority is using drinking water worth Rs6 million per annum for watering without paying the bills.

The PHA is drawing water from the Wasa system through 600 connections in its parks. Its water lorries also draw water from the Wasa system for watering green medians on roads.

The authority has to pay over Rs32 million to Wasa and is not bothering to clear arrears like many government departments, including the Lahore Development Authority and the City District Government.

Wasa has been advising the PHA to install low-cost shallow pumps in its parks to spare its water drawn from over 700 feet depth for drinking. Interestingly, when Wasa asks the PHA to clear its dues, it reportedly asks it to pay the rent of land on which it has installed its tubewells in some of the parks.