ISLAMABAD, Sept 27: President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz have said that interests of all provinces will be protected in any decision about water storage facility.

They also stressed the need for optimum utilisation of water for the socio-economic benefit of the people.

The observations were made at a meeting held in Rawalpindi to review the future water and energy requirements of the country, syas an official statement.

The ministry of water and power in a presentation highlighted that creation of additional water reservoirs was essential for sustained development of the country.

The meeting was informed that in addition to constructing water storages, it was equally important to increase hydroelectricity generation, in view of increases in the price of fuel oil.

The meeting was apprised of various feasibility studies being conducted on dam sites in the country, as well as the technical aspects of the potential sites.

The participants were told that there was consensus among members of the technical committee on water for creation of additional water storage facilities.

The president and the prime minister expressed appreciation for the efforts put in by the members of the political and technical committees on water. They were of the view that any decision on the construction of water storage facilities would be taken keeping in view the interests of all provinces.

They underscored the importance of creating public awareness About the importance of conservation and proper utilisation of the precious natural resource.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shaikh Rashid Ahmed, Minister of State for Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs Mohammad Ali Durrani, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and other senior officials also attended the meeting.