SUKKUR, July 18: The North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC) has planned to lay 31km water supply lines around the city to solve the problem of shortage of drinking water after an increase in population.

Manager of the corporation Muneem Domki told reporters that a letter had been sent to the Asian Development Bank for approval of $45 million for the project. Under the scheme, he said, plants were being set up for phases I and II on Bunder Road to purify 5 million to 7.5 million gallons of water, at Water Works Phase-III to filter 2.5 million to 4.5 million gallons and on the Airport road to filter 6 million gallons per day.

He said two pipelines of 36 inches diameter were being laid around the city which would take unfiltered water from river to treatment plants.

He said construction of a platform at Bhakar Island was included in the scheme to supply 70 cusecs of water to water works.

The work, scheduled to begin in November this year, would be completed in 30 months and meet the needs of the city, Mr Domki said.

He said a team of experts had prepared the master plan of the scheme, keeping in view the increase in the city’s population.  He said work would be taken up two months after the approval of the project by the ADB.