PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan ordered here on Monday immediate completion of all arrangements for initiating work on solarisation of 800 water supply schemes to be included in China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs6.84 billion that will ensure saving of approximately Rs800 million annually in bills and Rs90 million in operation and maintenance costs along with benefitting 2.4 million people.

The chief minister stated that the initiative was meant to improve the quality of life and health of people through provision of clean drinking water at affordable cost on sustainable basis. He said that public health engineering department had already initiated solarisation projects with successful results. He added that 600 schemes were solarised so far.

Total saving from these schemes in terms of electricity bills is Rs600 million per annum along with saving of 18 megawatts electricity to the national grid.

The chief minister directed the officials concerned to accelerate progress on 260 megawatts Jamshil Torren More Project Chitral, 350 megawatts Torren More Kare Project Chitral, project regarding off-grid solutions for tribal districts, second phase of Swat Motorway and other proposed schemes to be included in CPEC.

Mahmood Khan says provision of clean drinking water to people is govt’s priority

He was presiding over a meeting regarding CPEC projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Adviser to Chief Minister for Energy and Power Hamayatullah Khan, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahab Ali Shah, administrative secretaries of the departments concerned and other senior officials attended the meeting.

The meeting was informed that inclusion of 260 megawatts Jamshil Torren More Project and 350 megawatts Torren More Kare Project in CPEC was agreed upon in principle during the previous meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of CPEC in which it was agreed that the schemes would be evaluated by a panel of experts representing both the sides.

The meeting was informed that second phase of Swat Motorway was already been approved by PSDP while its inclusion in CPEC was also principally agreed upon in the previous meeting of JCC. Technical survey of Peshawar-DI Khan Motorway was also being carried out.

The chief minister was informed that solarisation of 800 existing water supply schemes was included in CPEC socio-economic grant. Revised PC-1 at estimated cost of Rs695.406 million for local component as non-ADP scheme has also been approved while hiring of consultants for the project is underway.

The chief minister stressed the need for expediting progress on the project, stating that provision of clean drinking water to people of the province was priority of the government.

The chief minister also called for a separate presentation on the new and ongoing mega schemes being executed by public health engineering department.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2019