SWAT: Senior officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project (KPCIP) claimed on Sunday that the Mingora Greater Water Supply and Neighbourhood Park Project was set to revolutionise the city’s water infrastructure and environmental landscape.

Led by Malakand division commissioner Saqib Raza Aslam, they stated this while briefing a team of the Asian Development Bank about the project, which visited Swat on Sunday.

The team comprised directors Moushomi Khan, Ms Keiko Takahashi, Alberto Carden, Noor Ahmad, senior project officer Umar Ali Shah and Asad Aleem.

The commissioner told the ADB team that the project aimed to mitigate the impacts of climate change on groundwater resources, promote tourism, and significantly improve the overall health of the city’s inhabitants.

Mr Aslam emphasised the importance of the water supply project for the city, especially given the rising population. He also highlighted the city’s historic and cultural significance, with special reference to Buddhist heritage sites. “Population growth has significantly increased the burden on water resources, and climate change has exacerbated the situation further,” he said. He noted that the floods in 2010, 2015 and 2022 had severely impacted the district’s infrastructure, particularly in the city.

The commissioner expressed hope that the water supply scheme would address the water shortage and help preserve groundwater resources for future generations.

Under the scheme, water from the River Swat will be tapped and supplied through a pipeline to a rapid treatment plant. The treated water will then be distributed through a 485-kilometre-long pipeline network. The treatment plant will process 30 million gallons daily and serve 80 per cent of the population, covering 850,000 residents.

KPCIP’s senior project officer Umar Ali Shah highlighted the gender component of the project, wherein 200 women were being trained under a one-year fully-funded internship programme. “In the first batch, 25 women have already been placed in relevant departments at water and sanitation service companies according to their educational background,” he said. He also briefed the team on agreements signed with various national and international educational institutions for fully-funded scholarships for women. Notably, KPCIP recently signed an MoU with the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, under which the institute will enroll 30 women in a two-year fully-funded scholarship programme, with ADB covering their expenses.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2024