PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s Drinking Water Policy 2015 plans to ensure the access of the province’s entire population to adequate supply of potable water at affordable cost through efficient and sustainable services by 2025.

The policy was approved by the provincial cabinet in Oct last year.

The document, a copy of which is available with Dawn, laid downs that during the next fiscal, at least 10 percent of the province’s Annual Development Programme (ADP) funds would be allocated for the drinking water sector.

“Priority will be given to unserved areas inhibited by poor and marginalised communities while planning new water supply projects,” it said.

According to the policy, 82 per cent of the province’s population has access to improved sources of drinking water, while 41 per cent of those having access to water are served with piped drinking water.

It however points out disparities in terms of water supply coverage between urban and rural areas.

“Urban areas are mostly covered with 98 percent of people having access to clean drinking water, while 21 percent of rural population estimated to be around one-fifth of the total rural population lacks access to the improved sources of water.”

Policy eyes supply of potable water across province by 2025

The policy also said the predominant source of water in the province was groundwater but due to the persistent withdrawal and dwindling re-charge processes, the groundwater was fast depleting at many places.

“The surface water sources are mostly available in northern districts of the province. However, unrestrained contamination and increasing use for irrigation pose major threats to safety and availability of surface water for drinking purposes.”

The policy said the provincial government would be responsible for policy formulation, and funds allocation and regulation, while the district government would be responsible for scheme identification, funds allocation, planning, implementation, operation and maintenance of local water supply schemes implemented by the public health engineering department from the district government funds.

It added that the necessary legislation would be made to establish a water and sanitation service regulator with the legal cover, and administrative and financial autonomy.

According to it, the public health engineering and local government departments will be the lead government agencies for the development of the drinking water supply sector in rural and urban areas.

In urban areas, the independent water utilities on the pattern of the Water and Sanitation Service Peshawar will be formed, while in small and medium sized towns and cities, tehsil municipal administrations or municipal committees will be responsible for the supply of drinking water.

Under the policy, environmental impact assessment will be mandatory for all major water sector projects. It will be the KP Environmental Protection Agency’s responsibility to ensure that such projects do not adversely affect the environment.

A long list of villages not having access to water supply will be prepared in each district based on need and demand basis in consultation with the district government and elected representatives.

“This list will be prioritised in view of technical, social and financial feasibilities. Each year, schemes will be included in ADP from prioritised list,” it said, adding that the legislations including Drinking Water Act, Water and Sanitation Regulatory Authority Act and Water and Sanitation Companies Act will be made to achieve goals and objectives of the policy.

According to the policy, the water quality monitoring and surveillance framework will be established to ensure that equality of all public and private water supplies conform to the required standards.

A committee consisting of the local government and public health engineering secretaries, four MPAs nominated by the speaker of the provincial Assembly, technical professionals, academics, civil society and development partners will coordinate the implementation and monitoring of the policy.

It will also develop a comprehensive strategy and action plan immediately upon the approval of this policy.

When contacted, public health engineering department secretary Nizamuddin said it was the first-ever drinking water policy of the province.

He said the policy approved by the provincial cabinet provided a strategic framework for the supply of drinking water across the province.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2016