PESHAWAR, Feb 2: Chief Engineer (CE) FATA Development Amir Shahbaz Khan has said that a major drinking water supply scheme will shortly be executed in Mohmand Agency to meet the growing water requirement of the agency.

The scheme, named Improvement and Rehabilitation of Drinking Water Supply Scheme, Saro Kalay, Ghallanai headquarters of Mohmand Agency, will be completed by 2008 at a cost of Rs198 million, Mr Amir said.

He said that it would cater to the water needs of the agency up to the year 2025.

He said a feasibility study of the scheme had been completed and sent to the department sub-committee for scrutinizing. After being scrutinized it would be referred to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) for final approval.

He said that the CDWP meeting would be headed by the additional chief secretary.

The project would have the capacity of producing 850,000 million gallons per day (mgd) as against the present production of 40,000 mgd, he said.

He said that the scheme would be executed through a pre-qualified firm.

While describing about the technical aspects of the scheme, he said it would be based on four tube-wells which would be installed at the site of the water source in the Saro Kallay village.

The main beneficiary of the scheme will be Ghallanai, Civil Colony, Mohmand Rifles, Chanda village and the Darba Khel area covering a population of about 50,000.

He said currently various multi-faceted mega-development projects were under way in the tribal areas in communication, health, education, agriculture, irrigation, forest sectors, etc. The Federal Government has increased the annual development outlay of the Fata manifold during the last few years, he claimed.

He said the on-time completion ratio of the projects in FATA is over 90 per cent while the delay in some cases is caused due to technical problems and not because of shortage of funds.—APP