ISLAMABAD: The Japanese government has approved a grant assistance of $3.50 million for Pakistan to provide smart water meters and related equipment to the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) in Faisalabad.

An agreement to this effect was signed in Islamabad on Wednesday between the embassy of Japan and the Economic Affairs Division under the Economic and Social Development Programme.

Through technical cooperation and other grant aid projects, Japan has been supporting Wasa Faisalabad in expanding water supply for shifting from a flat rate system to a metering rate system in which water charges are based on the amount of water consumption through the installation of water meters to increase Wasa’s water revenues.

This programme will provide 8,400 smart water meters to Faisalabad Wasa, promoting the agency’s shift to a metering rate system, establishing an efficient bill collection system and water distribution system, and achieving digital transformation of water supply in Faisalabad.

This programme will contribute to improving water services in Faisalabad, and ultimately to improving the public health and living environment of citizens.

At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi expressed the hope that the water supply services in Faisalabad will further improve through this grant aid, and ultimately the public health and living environment will improve. Japan would continue to cooperate with Pakistan in the area of water, he said.

JICA Pakistan Chief Represen­tative, Naoaki Miyata, said that the smart water meters would promote digital transformation of the water supply and improve water services in Faisalabad.

Through this grant aid, the Japanese government and JICA will contribute to the supply of safe water in Pakistan.

In Faisalabad, the third most populous city in the country, Faisalabad Wasa is responsible for providing water services. However, the residents are unable to get sufficient water supply, and water is only available for about six hours a day.

One of the reasons is that the water tariff is a flat rate system in which the water tariff does not change regardless of how much water customers use, which leads to customers wasting water.

Due to this problem, Faisalabad Wasa’s water tariff revenue has not increased, making it impossible to renovate or expand its facilities for the people.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2025