KARACHI, July 26: The federal finance minister, Shaukat Aziz, has assured City Nazim Naimatullah Khan that a high-level meeting will be convened here shortly to discuss the city’s mega projects concerning water and sewerage.

The nazim apprised the minister that since water and sewerage were the two major problems of the city there was dire need to help provide financial assistant to the city government for initiating mega projects in these sectors.

Mr Naimatullah, who met the minister at a luncheon hosted by the chief minister, emphasised on the need for establishing a desalination plant in the city to overcome its increasing demand of water and a power generating unit for ensuring uninterrupted power to supply to major water installations.

Agreeing with the nazim’s proposals for mega projects for improvement in water and sewerage system, Mr Aziz told the nazim that he along with federal secretary finance, federal secretary economic affairs division and principal secretary to the prime minister will hold a meeting with him to discuss these proposals. He said that the matter concerning finances of such projects would not be a problem owing to the availability of funds through donors.

The nazim had recently apprised President Musharraf about such mega projects and the latter while agreeing with the Nazim’s suggestions had assured him that such projects would be dealt with by the finance ministry.