JHANG: Learning lessons from the failure, the District Development Committee (DDC) has this time entrusted the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) with installing 14 water filtration plants at public schools in Athara Hazari.

The project will be completed with Rs400 million. The decision to allocate funds to the PHED was taken in the wake of the malfunction of the 20 such water plants which were installed by the education department in schools two years ago.

Officials said the department failed to meet technical requirement. The matter of misappropriation of the authority by the district government to release funds to an irrelevant department is also being probed by the Anti-Corruption Establishment.

According to DDC Chairman (also deputy commissioner), the installation of 14 plants in Athara Azari schools would be executed by the PHED but no-objection certificates from education, revenue and local government departments.

He said plants would be installed at high school of Dargahi Shah, Rodu Sultan, Mari Shah Sekhira, Rashidpur, Lashari, Uch Gul Imam, Kot Bahadar, Hasu Balail, Ada Patai, Dhapra, Chokan, Wasu and Kot Shakir.

He said the provision of safe and clean drinking water by installing water filtration plants would ensure protection against waterborne diseases and would help sustaining livelihoods of the people living remote areas of the district.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017