LAHORE, April 15: The Punjab government will provide potable water facilities to 2.5 million people in 750 villages of 26 districts by year 2007 at a cost of Rs4.28 billion.

This was disclosed by Punjab Public Health Engineering Minister Mushtaq Ahmed Kiyani and project director Chaudhry Zahid Hussain at a press conference here on Saturday.

They said that potable water supply schemes had already been completed in 450 villages and work was in progress in remaining 300 villages. As many as 310 schemes were being managed by the people on self-help basis.

Water supply schemes, they said, were meant for rain-fed and saline underground water areas and were being executed with the financial assistance

of the Asian Development Bank.

The bank met 70 per cent cost of schemes while the remaining funds were provided by the provincial government and the local population.

They said the government had also started installation of meters on connections to check the water wastage. Water meters had been installed in 25 water supply schemes so far and were being installed in the remaining ones.

They said that water supply schemes were being executed in water scarcity and saline areas because 40 per cent deaths in the country were reported due to the use of contaminated water.

The rural population, they said, was also being educated about basic health and sanitation principles under the Punjab Community Water Supply and Sanitation Project. Education had been completed in 510 villages where public health libraries had also been established. Toilets were also being built in schools in villages where water supply schemes had been completed.

They said the government was not only educating the rural population under the Punjab Community Water Supply and Sanitation Project but also advancing loans to the people for poverty alleviation and vocational training.

More than 9,000 people in 523 villages had been advanced loans totalling Rs105 million under the project so far, they added.