KARACHI, Sep 5: Federal Minister for Environment Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat said on Monday that 550 water filter plants would be installed in the first phase in different districts of the country to provide clean drinking water to the people.

Inaugurating a water filter plant at Overhead Reservoir Saudabad Pumping Station Malir.the minister said that government was committed to provide potable water to each and every house of the country till the end of 2007.

The minister pointed out that the waterborne diseases are caused due to unhygienic water. Therefore, government is trying to provide potable water to people that is their basic right, and providing safe drinking water to people is the top priority of government.

He further said that in the second phase, 6500 water filter plants, one each in every union council and in the third phase, 28,000 water filter plants one each in every area with population of 1000 would be installed.

He said that epidemic diseases were major problem of our country and unavailability of clean water was the basic reason of these diseases. He said that it was the vision of President and Prime Minister to improve healthcare system that would also help to improve the standard of living of common man.

He said that federal government would bear the functioning expenses of the Saudabad filter plant for three years, and announced that the second phase of this project would soon be inaugurated.

Malir Town, Karachi. TMO Malir Manawer Syal, TO Saleem Arif, DTO Solid Waste Kashif Ahmed Khan, UC nazims and naib nazims were also present.

Earlier, the minister chaired a meeting during his visit to Marine Research Laboratory of Zoological Survey

Department, Karachi.

During the meeting, he highlighted the need to protect natural life and preserve the valuable marine species of birds, green turtles, dolphins etc.—APP