ISLAMABAD, Nov 7: The World Health Organization (WHO), in association with the district government of Rawalakot, has started rehabilitating all water treatment plants, pumping stations and supply lines in the quake-hit areas.

“People will receive safe and pure drinking water within two weeks time”, a World Health Organization (WHO) statement issued here on Monday promised.

The effort is to ensure an uninterrupted supply of clean drinking water to the entire city to protect its citizens from all water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, hepatitis, scabies and meningitis.

Since the Oct 8 earthquake which affected the city, the survivors had been receiving untreated water from two sources, the Trar Treatment Plant and Char Pumping Station. Both were severely damaged by the massive earthquake. They require repair and rehabilitation work including cleaning of reservoirs, replacement of broken pipes, installations of motors and starters. The situation has put the population at a huge risk of contracting water-borne diseases.

WHO is also placing a modern water chlorination system in Rawalakot and imparting training to officials of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in the district.