ISLAMABAD, Nov 17 The government is facing multiple hiccups in installing water filtration plants under much talked about clean drinking water for all (CDWA) and has urged the provincial governments to share their responsibilities in providing clean drinking water to the masses.
Federal Minister for Special Initiatives Lal Mohammad Khan looked helpless on Monday when a number of MNAs wanted explanations on the status of the project since the government had announced setting up one plant each at union council level.
Total cost of the CDWA, one of signature projects launched by former President General Pervez Musharraf has been estimated to cost Rs15.84 billion whereby 6,626 plants would be installed throughout the country.
The ministry of special initiatives is the sponsoring agency, whereas district governments in collaboration with local government departments of the provincial governments would execute the project in their respective areas.
In response to a supplementary question, Mr Lal accepted before the house the project was launched during the former government of PML (Q), however, it had failed to kick off.
Under the project the government would set up around 3,500 water filtration plants in Punjab followed by 1,100 each in Sindh and NWFP, and just over 500 plants have been planed for Balochistan.
Blaming the provincial governments for lack of progress on the project, the minister floated an idea of engaging MNAs in running filtration plants in their respective areas.
A number of plants completed during the former government had been left redundant and the ministry for special initiatives is not only trying to repair them but also working actively with the provincial governments to install new ones, the minister said. “If the provincial governments are executing agencies then what is the need of ministry of special initiatives to run this project,” Ms Jamila Gallani of ANP questioned the minister. In response to the minister said, his minister was taking every possible effort to make this project a successful venture.
Some in the government believed, provincial governments should be given the responsibility of project and special ministry's engagement was proving more than a hurdle than facilitator for the project.
