SAHIWAL: On the recommendations of the Local Development Committee of the Punjab Intermediate City Improvement Investment Project (PICIIP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has included the installation of 14 additional tubewells in the main project.

The initiative will provide access to clean drinking water for various localities not covered in earlier projects in Sahiwal city.

Commissioner Shoaib Iqbal, also the head of the development committee, said the number of tubewells to be installed has increased from 28 to 42.

This expansion is expected to meet the fresh drinking water needs of over 50,000 residents in Sahiwal city.

Sources reveal that the new tubewells, part of the PICIIP, will be placed in Union Council 1 and 2, Kot Khadim Ali Shah, Kot Allah Din, Anayat Elahi Colony, and Manzoor Colony.

Residents of Sahiwal had demanded the inclusion of certain localities in the PICIIP project that were initially not part of the original plan and funding allocation.

The new proposal was presented during the third annual progress and review committee meeting of the Asian Development Bank in the first quarter of 2023.

Asjad Khan, PCIIP city manager, said the ADB not only acknowledged this demand but also granted approval for the construction of 14 additional tube wells. He said the committee was actively engaged in extending the project to include the laying down of sewerage lines in the above localities, which were not part of the original plan.

The Punjab government, in collaboration with the ADB, is running a $500 million PICIIP in two cities – Sahiwal and Sialkot.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2023