GUJRAT: A group of local philanthropists has installed 190 water filtration plants at different public places under the public-private partnership mode at a cost of Rs 280 million during last almost six years.

Though most of these plants have been installed within the limits of Gujrat city, at least 30 have been installed in nearby towns like Kunjah, Jalalpur Jattan, Daulat Nagar as well as surrounding villages.

The group known as Rasheeda Shafi Foundation (RSF) has also regularly been doing maintenance either on fortnightly or monthly basis, whatever is required.

At least 32 filtration plants have been installed in government educational institutions such as University of Gujrat, Zamindar College, Bhimbher Road and three women colleges like Fawara Chowk, Marghzar Colony and Railway Road, Science College, GT Road, and a number of high schools.

Moreover, 30 water filtration plants, previously established either by the federal government or Gujrat Municipal Corporation GtMC around 15 to 20 years ago, have also been handed over to the foundation since those filtration plants had been rendered dysfunctional.

President of RSF Imtiaz Kausar said that the foundation had reconstructed a number of government sector filtration plants and also doing maintenance work for the last few years. He said it might take some more time to expand the operations to other urban towns of the district such as Lalamusa, Jalalpur Jattan, Kharian, Dinga, Sara-i- Alamgir and Kunjah etc as the people of those areas had also been approaching the foundation for the purpose.

On the other hand, the RSF has also established filtration plants at different government departments such as the deputy commissioner compound, district police office, at Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital, Gujrat district jail, Police lines, district and session court compound, Rescue 1122 stations along the old GT road, Shabeer Sharif Tehsil Headquarter hospital, Kunjah and other such public places.

Four filtration plants have simultaneously been inaugurated in a big village Pero Shah in a single day on Friday last where a local organisation collaborated with the RSF. Talking to Dawn, Mr Kausar commended the role of the district administration for creating a conducive environment for the execution of public private partnership projects in the district as RSF had established a state-of-art-trauma center at ABSTH whereas Razia Khursheed diagnostic center was also about to complete at a cost of Rs 450 to 500 million which would become functional within a month.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2026