LAHORE: The Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority and Lahore Institute of Public Health (Trust) on Sunday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for activation of 54 filtration plants in Lahore before Ramazan.

The MoU was signed by Commissioner Lahore division Saif Anjum, authority CEO/Wasa MD Syed Zahid Aziz and Trustee of Lahore Institute of Public Health Mian Ahsan at the Governor’s House.

Speaking at a news conference after the MoU signing ceremony, Governor Chaudhry Sarwar, who is also patron of the authority, said no institution or NGO could install any filtration plant without prior approval of Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority.

He said the authority was authorised to impose fine and up to two-year imprisonment upon those selling substandard water.

Governor says no institution or NGO can install filtration plant without approval of Aab-e-Pak Authority

Mr Sarwar said the Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority had public (official) filtration plants worth Rs9 billion. He said the authority was currently working on activating maximum number of non-functional filtration plants with the support of philanthropists. He said this initiative was being started from Lahore and “we had also started restoration of filtration plants under Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority in Faisalabad and Sargodha divisions.

The governor promised that the authority would fulfill the promise of provision of clean drinking water to the people in five years and it was being ensured that people should get international standard water.

The governor said the authority had compiled the lists of functional and non-functional filtration plants in Punjab including Lahore. He said the non-functional filtration plants were being restored speedily.

Lahore Institute of Public Health trustee Mian Ahsan said the trust would be able to work with the Aab-e-Pak Authority with more confidence that the philanthropists money be spent transparently and in the right direction.

Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority chairman retired Gen Ahmed Nawaz Saleem Mela claimed the authority was rendering unprecedented service of provision of clean drinking water and there was complete transparency in this project. “We are executing the work of years in months because we as per our promise will provide clean drinking water to people of Punjab at all costs,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2020