KARACHI, May 6: The City Nazim, Niamatullah Khan, has stressed the need for installing more desalination plants in the coastal areas of Karachi to meet the city’s increasing water requirements. He said local and foreign companies interested in installing such plants on BOT basis would be extended all possible facilities.

He said this while reviewing an offer from a Danish company for setting up desalination and power plants at a meeting at Civic Centre on Friday.

Pointing out that the city government had already entered into agreement with an American company for a desalination plant, the nazim said more such agreements would be concluded as well.

The meeting was attended by President of NORDICOM Shakeel Naimat, Managing Director KWSB Brig Iftekhar Hyder, Deputy Managing Director Shahid Saleem, Adviser to City Nazim Ansar Razi and other officials.

The meeting was briefed with the help of multimedia about models and details of desalination plants installed in Denmark, Saudi Arabia and Mexico.

Mr Shakeel informed the meeting about a survey carried out in Pipri, Dhabeji and other coastal areas with regard to desalination plant projects and said a similar survey at Hawkesbay and other locations would be conducted next week.

He said a desalination plant could be installed in 10 months. It would have a capacity of desalinating 64 mgd seawater into sweet water besides generating power.

Mr Niamat said the city government had started planning K-4 project while work on K-3 project was in progress. KWSB Managing Director Brig Iftekhar briefed the meeting about details of plants at Pipri, COD and Dhabeji.—APP