RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has launched a campaign to test the quality of water from all its sources.

A comprehensive plan for regular monitoring of water quality for surface and ground sources has been prepared and implemented. Rawalpindi city has been divided into six zones: West-I, East-I, West-II, East-II, PP-12 and PP-13, a meeting held with Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Director General Kinza Murtaza in the chair was informed.

Assistant Director (Water Quality) is getting samples from 40 tubewells and 10 filtration plants in the first phase and it would continue on a weekly basis. A water testing monitoring plan of whole Wasa jurisdiction is completed in three months.

Wasa Managing Director Saleem Ashraf said a water quality analysis laboratory had been established at Rawal Lake Filtration Plant to regularly monitor and analyse the quality of water supplied from there, at the overhead reservoirs of Khanpur Dam, mini-filtration plants and tubewells located in the jurisdiction of Wasa and to analyse the quality of water in the distribution system.

A comprehensive plan prepared and implemented, city divided into six zones, meeting informed

Presently, he said Wasa laboratory was analysing three water quality parameters: physical, chemical and bacteriological. Physical parameters include appearance, temperature, turbidity, conductance and dissolved oxygen while chemical parameters include alkalinity, hardness, sulphate, calcium, magnesium, chlorides, residual chlorine, sulfite, nitrite, ammonia, iron and arsenic of water and bacteriological parameters include total coliform count and fecal coliform count.

The Wasa chief said the agency was operating 127 filtration plants in its jurisdiction which had been rehabilitated under a cleanliness drive of the government of Punjab.

The filters in the filtration plants are being changed regularly and Wasa kept the record on a monthly basis. He said that Wasa had also asked people to clean underground and overhead tanks in their houses. He said the agency was responsible to provide clean water at the doorsteps of consumers and it would also check the quality of tab water.

RDA Director General Kinza Murtaza emphasised the importance of water quality being supplied to the citizens and directed the officials to ensure supply of clean drinking water to the residents. She expressed her satisfaction on mechanism of ensuring water quality by Wasa.

She said there will be a zero tolerance policy on contaminated water. In this regard, all SOPs should be observed strictly. She said she will monitor the water quality and any negligence if found will be dealt with strict action.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2024