15 January 2005	Saturday	04 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 14: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Friday directed the ministry of science and technology to speed up the installation of water filtration plants at district level , so that the people could be protected against water-borne diseases.

He was talking to Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Nouraiz Shakoor, who called on him at the Prime Minister's House this evening. Prime Minister Aziz directed the ministries of S&T and health to launch a campaign for creating awareness against the water-borne diseases and its fatal effects.

He said the government had been striving to provide basic health facilities including clean drinking water to the people. The ministry, he said, could play a vital role in introducing cheap and simple methods of purification of drinking water in rural and remote areas.

He underlined the need for improving child health care and protecting them against the water-borne diseases like hepatitis. The prime minister also directed him to extend the facility of providing water filtration plants in AJ&K and Northern Areas besides all other districts.

Meanwhile, the prime minister Shaukat on Thursday directed the Council of Research in Water Resources to immediately set up filtration plants and testing laboratories in all districts of the country to provide clean drinking water to the people.

He said the setting up of low-cost filtration plants and the laboratories in 107 districts would cost the government Rs1.8 billion. The council gave a presentation to the prime minister on effective water usage and reducing water-borne diseases.

Keeping in view the deteriorating water quality in Sargodha in Punjab, Ziarat in Balochistan, Hyderabad in Sindh and Mardan in NWFP, the prime minister directed that the plants be set up in these districts on priority basis.

Prime Minister Aziz also directed that all water supply schemes being set up by the federal government should have chlorination plants so that people could get bacteria-free drinking water.

The prime minister was informed that the PCRWR had implemented a mega project in Cholistan to solve the drinking water problem of humans and livestock. Now safe and clean drinking water has been made available to the people in the desert area of southern Punjab.

He directed the ministry of science and technology to immediately launch such projects in Thar, Sindh, and Kharan, Balochistan. Prime Minister Aziz also directed the officials department concerned to introduce low-cost drip and sprinkler system of irrigation in the country along with bed and furrow methods to save water.

The prime minister was informed that the council had developed low-cost desalination units for purification of saline water. He directed setting up of such plants, at large scale, in the coastal areas where ground water is brackish.

The prime minister asked the provincial and district governments to make efforts with the collaboration of industrialists to set up industrial affluent treatment plants at places where such plants are urgently needed so that people could have access to clean and bacteria-free drinking water.

He said it was also important to ensure a safe sewerage system so that underground water was not polluted. He was of the that even with simple chlorination, the local governments could ensure supply of bacteria-free water. The district governments should focus on this basic but major need of the people, he exhorted.