ISLAMABAD, Sept 16: The water supply situation in the NWFP and Balochistan improved in 2005-06 in comparison to 2004-05, according to a survey by the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) for 2005-06.

The PSLM 2005-06 is the second round of a series of surveys planned to be carried out till 2009. The survey for 2006-07 is being finalised, officials of the Federal Bureau of Statistics (Statistic division) said.

The sources said the survey’s objective was to provide detailed outcome indicators on education, health, population welfare, water and sanitation and income and expenditure.

The PSLM report 2005-06 provides national and provincial findings. Under the survey, 15,453 households were covered in urban and rural communities, sources said.

Information was collected on a range of social sector issues, focusing on sectors covered under Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) like education, health, population welfare, immunization, pre-post natal care, family planning and water supply and sanitation.

According to the survey, hand pumps were the main source of drinking water in Pakistan. Hand pumps and motor pumps provide 65 per cent of the households’ drinking water in 2005-06, against 62 per cent in 2004-05, the survey report said.

But when compared against surveys conducted in 2001-02 and 2004-05, the use of hand pumps was declining while the use of motor pumps is increasing in urban and rural areas. Usage of tap water in 2004-05 and 2005-06 remained at 34 per cent.

The survey showed that the NWFP had the best tap water supply ratio among the provinces at 47 per cent in 2005-06 against 44 per cent in 2004-05.

The majority of the population in Punjab (68 per cent) depended on water supplied by hand or motor pumps and only five per cent of the population depended on wells and other sources like river, canal, or streams.

The supply of tap water in Sindh remained almost unchanged at 43 per cent in 2005-06 against 44 per cent in 2004-05.

The survey report said that Balochistan showed an increase in tap water supply, increasing from 33 per cent in 2004-05 to 36 per cent in 2005-06.—APP