PESHAWAR, Feb 26: The Nowshera district government and eight political parties on Sunday decided to work together for solving problems of people, especially those related to drinking water and sanitation.

The agreement was reached at a public forum on the problems of water supply and sanitation in Nowshera held by a steering committee comprising members from eight major parties of the district in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the Basic Integrated Rural Development Society and the Department for International Development.

Representatives of the Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, the JUI (Sami), Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Muslim League, the PML (Nawaz), People’s Party Parliamentarians and Pakistan People’s Party attended the forum.

Speaking on the occasion, Nowshera Tehsil Nazim Dr Imran said solution of the citizens’ problems related to water supply and sanitation was the district government’s top priority.

He said a week-long cleanliness campaign will be launched in March in collaboration with the district steering committee of political parties. He said the tehsil government would work in close liaison with political parties.

The forum passed resolutions demanding that funds allocated for water supply projects should be utilized properly by the district government and efforts should be made to stop wastage of water.

It called for use of germicides in all water tanks in the district.

The participants demanded that the number of sanitary workers should be increased and people should be persuaded not to use plastic bags.

They said a committee comprising of representatives of water management institutions, public health department, cantonment board, district government, tehsil municipal administration and civil society groups should be formed to monitor the water supply and sanitation system.

They said damaged water supply pipes should be repaired, non-functional tube-wells made functional, funds allocated through citizens’ community boards for water and sanitation. They said the water and sanitation system throughout the district should be brought at par with the Model Town and cantonment areas and water filter plants should be installed in each union council.