KARACHI, March 12: Governor Ishratul Ibad on Wednesday directed the officials of Planning and Development to formulate a comprehensive plan applicable upto 2025 keeping in view various essential sectors, including water supply, so as to meet the requirements of Karachi in a phased process.

He was presiding over a high-level meeting at Governor House to review the progress of the 100mgd K-3 Bulk Water Supply Scheme.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for Planning and Development, Shoaib Ahmed Bukhari, Minister for Local Government, Mohammed Hussain, Nazim of Karachi, Naimatullah Khan, Principal Secretary, Akhtar Zamin, Additional Chief Secretaries, Fazlur Rehman and Ghulam Sarwar Khehro and DCO, Mir Hussain Ali besides officials of Planning and Development and City Government.

The governor stressed on effective monitoring of quality and timely completion of the ongoing mega projects and development schemes in the province.

He said that instead of keeping in view the final date of completion, focus should be on the time frame for various stages of the scheme.

After giving details of the K-3 project, Brig (r) Javed Ashraf told the meeting that it would be completed in 2005.

The governor directed that a three-month schedule be prepared in this regard and a progress report be submitted to him.

He directed the concerned officials to initiate preliminary work on K-4 project as well as desalination plant and other alternative sources of water supply.

He called for effective measures to check wastage of water and launching of water treatment projects.

Earlier, Brig Ashraf told the meeting that under K-3 project, Karachi would get 100mg water a day. The estimated cost of the project, he added was Rs6,103 million.

He put the estimate of the ongoing water board schemes at Rs16.519.—APP