LAHORE: The government has launched a major initiative to provide citizens with clean drinking water, and in the first phase, filtration and water treatment plants will be installed across 16 districts of Punjab.

Punjab Saaf Pani Authority CEO Naveed Ahmad gave a detailed briefing on the project during a meeting presided over by Housing Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal.

According to the spokesperson of the Housing department, filtration plants would be installed in areas affected by arsenic and polluted underground water, while surface water treatment plants would be established at Dharabi, Mairwal, and Phalina dams. In addition, four bottling plants would be set up in Khushab, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Rahim Yar Khan, through which citizens would be provided with clean drinking water in 19-litre bottles, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said the first phase of the project would be completed by June 30, 2026, benefiting approximately 29 million people across Punjab. The provincial cabinet had already approved the operations and management of the project. Water filtration plants would be installed in government buildings, schools, mosques, seminaries, and police stations to minimize incidents of water theft. For automated field monitoring, an advanced SCADA System would also be introduced, he added.

First phase will be completed by June 30

MUNICIPAL: In the 27th Annual General Meeting of the Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company (PMDFC) held here on Saturday, three new general body members — Justice (R) Akbar Ali Qureshi, Mazhar Ali Khan and Nabeel Iftikhar Ahmad — were inducted.

In addition, five new civil society board members, Immad Iftikhar Malik, Syed Kamal Ali Haider, Qamaruz Zaman, Ali Tariq, and Zeeshan Ali Noorani, were also elected. The election of Immad Iftikhar Malik as the chairman of the board was also confirmed. It was also decided that the tenure of all newly-elected members would be of three years.

The meeting proceedings were initiated by Mr Azhar Tahir, company secretary, who presented various agenda items for approval, including the annual budget, appointment of the auditors’ firm, and other key matters.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman Mr Immad said, “Our mission is to enhance the quality of life of citizens through the provision of efficient municipal services.” He said that PMDFC had successfully completed several projects toward this goal, and work was ongoing on multiple initiatives related to sewerage, water supply, and other municipal services.

On the occasion, PMDFC Managing Director Syed Zahid Aziz briefed the participants on the company’s performance, noting that numerous projects for the provision of sewerage, water supply, and other municipal services had been successfully completed in 16 cities across Punjab.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2025