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07 February 2004
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Saturday
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15 Zilhaj 1424
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Rs25bn to be spent on drainage plan - Sherpao reviews pace of work
Bureau Report
PESHAWAR, Feb 6: Federal Minister for Water and Power Aftab Sherpao has said that over Rs25 billion would be spent under the National Drainage Programme to ensure maximum utilization of existing water resources
and augment the supply and storage of irritation water.
This he said while presiding over a high-level meeting held at the Wapda House here on Friday which reviewed implementation of the drainage programme.
The minister said the projects pertaining to the construction of small dams, improvement and lining of the existing canal system and water channels had also been included in this programme, says an official handout issued here on Friday.
He said 27 per cent of work had been completed in this regard, however, the pace of work needed to be accelerated.
The minister said implementation of projects being undertaken in Punjab and Sindh was going on smoothly, however, in the case of the NWFP much was needed to be done.
The federal government, he added, would extend all necessary assistance to provinces to undertake drainage programme. The minister expressed the hope that the provincial government would soon launch a project to ensure utilization of funds available for this programme.
Dwelling upon different components of the National Drainage Programme, the minister expressed satisfaction over the institutional reforms component. However, he held out a reservation about the investment component of the programme.
The minister was informed that work on the Pehoor main canal, Pehoor Scarp projects worth Rs159 million was moving ahead according to the schedule. Likewise, Rs28 million would be spent on Tanda Dam and Rs48 million had been allocated for improvement of irrigation channels of Bannu district, the minister was told.
Similarly, Rs100 million had been earmarked for Northern Areas, while Fata would get an allocation of Rs70 million. The meeting was attended among others by the secretary and additional secretary of the ministry of water and power, irrigation secretaries of the federal and NWFP governments.
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