ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: The Punjab housing, urban development and public health engineering department has received the Asian Development Bank award for promoting community participation, its ownership, and hygiene education, says a bank release here on Tuesday.

The ADB president, Tadao Chino, presented the “Water Prize” to the project director, Javed Iqbal Chaudhry; Gul Fareen Yaqoob, president of the Thathi Gujran Village Community Organization in Attock District; and community motivator, Nadia Saeed, at the launch of “Water Week” in Manila on Monday, it said.

The award was presented to the Department in recognition of sound practice in implementing ADB’s “Water for All” policy .

Mr Chino noted the work carried out under the ADB-financed Punjab Rural Water Supply and Sanitation project by many community-based organizations in the province, including all the voluntary contributions in managing the water supply schemes and social development activities.

He also recognized the work of ADB urban development specialist, social sectors division, South Asia Department, Shakeel Ahmad Khan, who has worked on the project, in particular for his efforts to promote community participation.

Mr Chino stressed the importance of collaboration with development partners in addressing water issues. “It can take place in sector work and policy dialogue in our developing member countries, in comparative analysis of water sector reforms in the region, in demonstration and dissemination of innovative approaches on the ground, in co-financing of investments in infrastructure and services, and in capacity building, regional cooperation and governance improvements,” Mr Chino said.

The bank chief reminded the participants that at the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development, the world community committed itself to halve the number of people without access to water and sanitation services by the year 2015.

He noted that in Asia 90 per cent of the population without safe drinking water and adequate sanitation live in rural areas.