KARACHI, March 28: A preliminary agreement for the installation of two desalination plants, having a capacity of 25mgd each, one at Korangi and the other at Bin Qasim, was signed here on Monday.
Brig Iftikhar Ahmed, MD of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, and Mr Samiullah Khan, head of the California-Enviro Management Inc. USA, signed the agreement at a ceremony held at a local hotel.
US Consul-General at Karachi, Douglas C. Rohn, and the City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, counter-signed the agreement.
Mr Rohn said the agreement was yet another step forward towards the promotion of already cordial relations between the USA and Pakistan.
“This is a concrete proof that business comes to Pakistan and to Karachi”, he said and added that US offers technology and financing that has paved the way for this project which is going to prove beneficial for Karachi.
He said that US can bring a lot of expertise for infrastructure facilities. He paid rich tributes to City Nazim Naimatullah Khan and described him a good friend whom he knows since his arrival in Pakistan.
Douglas Rohn said that Naimatullah Khan has proved helpful all these years and today he is also known in America. He said Karachi is lucky to have a man of his wisdom and decency.
Addressing the ceremony, City Nazim Niamatullah Khan said that the ceremony follows signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in October last year.
He said that water is life and in future, wars will be fought not for land but for water.
He said Pakistan needs more dams for water storage, but construction of Kalabagh dam is yet to develop consensus because of differences between provinces.
Similarly, Pakistan’s relations with India are improving, but dispute on Bagalhyar Dam is yet to be resolved despite its case before the International Court.
Niamatullah Khan said that Karachi has two main sources of water supply - Indus source, some 140 miles away, and Hub dam about 40 km from the city.
He said Hub Dam water is dependent on rains and about one-and-a-half years back, it had no drop of water due scarcity of rains.
In view of these conditions, he pointed he had been discussing the possibility of desalination plants with many companies, but the same could not materialise till Mr Samiullah Khan offered the installation of two desalination plants of 25 mgd each on Built, Own and Operate basis.
City Nazim said that the City Government will invest nothing as entire funding will be done by California-Environment Management Inc. US which will sell water directly to consumers. However, rate for water will be determined by the two parties through mutual consent.
He said it will not be the last agreement, but the CDGK will have more agreements on BOO basis not only for desalination plants but also for other mega projects of Karachi which city government cannot afford to finance and would need the help of companies, like CEM.
He expressed the hope that the agreement will pave the way for strengthening the existing relations between Pakistan and US and their people.
He thanked the US CG Douglas Rohn for his being helpful to the City Government.
Earlier, in his speech, KWSB MD, Brig Iftekhar Hyder said the two plants will be built totally with US technology, right from nut to bolt as a gift of people of America for people of Karachi.
He said the desalinated water will be supplied to industries and affluent people who can afford to buy and thus the 50 mgd water so saved will be supplied to city’s deficit areas by the year 2007.
Similarly, he said the K-III 100 mgd water supply scheme will also become operational by 2006 and after the two plants go into operation, there will be no shortage of drinking water in Karachi.
