ISLAMABAD, June 26: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said the government is committed to providing safe drinking water to the entire population and 6,036 water filtration plants, costing more than Rs7.8 billion, would be installed by December 2007 throughout Pakistan.

Presiding over a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House on Monday to review the progress of the programme, ‘Safe Drinking Water for All’ the prime minister said water-borne diseases were one of the major hazards for public health, and providing safe drinking water to all by 2007 was among the top priorities of the government.

‘Safe Drinking Water for All’ Programme is part of the preventive strategy of the government to control water-borne diseases for a healthier and more vibrant Pakistan, the prime minister said.

He said under the first phase of the programme, 500 water purification plants would be operational by the end of 2006; one each at every tehsil and by the end of 2007 every union council would have at least one water purification plant under the programme.

The prime minister said the government would continue to expand the programme and plans for the third phase were being finalised.

He asked the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) to identify high-risk cities in terms of water contamination and coordinate with provincial and district governments to come up with a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem.

He said ‘Safe Drinking Water for All’ programme which was being funded by the government would serve as a catalyst and driver for a larger programme and the provincial and local governments had also been asked to allocate funds for setting of more water filtration plants.

He said in addition, to this programme government departments, civil society, private sector organisations and philanthropists would be encouraged and communities mobilised to contribute to the government’s efforts and set up more water filtration plants at schools, hospitals, parks, factories, petrol pumps and other public places.

The meeting was attended among others by Minister for Environment Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Nauraiz Shakoor, Minister of State for Environment Malik Amin Aslam, deputy chairman Planning Commission and senior officials.