MANSEHRA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) central senior vice president and MNA Sardar Mohammad Yusuf said on Saturday that the federal government, with financial assistance from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, was set to address the potable water issues faced by the local residents.

While speaking at a meeting attended by the tehsil chairman and heads of various departments, he said, “We have been working on a trilateral potable water supply scheme worth Rs 21 billion with the support from the federal and provincial governments and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Tehsil Chairman Sheikh Mohammad Shafee briefed the PML-N leader on issues including water scarcity, the lack of a proper graveyard, and inadequate streetlights.

“The underground water table in the city and its suburbs has dropped significantly, leading to the drying up of wells and hand pumps, which has created severe water scarcity,” Mr Yusuf said.

He added that the federal and provincial governments had completed the necessary formalities to launch the mega gravity flow water supply scheme. “In the meantime, we are working on an interim water supply project to provide potable water to residents until the gravity flow scheme is completed,” he said.

Mr Yusuf said that the city and its surrounding areas were also facing an acute shortage of space in existing graveyards for burials.

He assured that this issue would also be resolved soon, as funds available with the district administration would be utilised for this purpose.

The PML-N leader also expressed concern over delays in the execution of development projects by the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA). “Streets and roads in the city remain inundated with rainwater. The TMA must devise a comprehensive strategy to clear clogged sewerage lines and nullahs along the Karakoram Highway and other main roads in the city and its suburbs,” he stressed.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2024