Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has rejected an initial proposal to impose charges on bottled drinking water being supplied under the provincial clean drinking water initiative.
The decision was taken during a special meeting on the Punjab Saaf Pani Authority, chaired by the chief minister in Lahore on Thursday, where she received a detailed briefing on the ongoing clean drinking water projects across the province.
Maryam Nawaz has asked for daily updates on a new pilot project bringing bottled drinking water to four districts. She also directed the deputy commissioners of Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar Khan and Khushab to get the public feedback on the availability and quality of clean drinking water. She further instructed the officials to assess the daily drinking water requirements in all four pilot districts.
The meeting reviewed proposals to deliver clean drinking water to households through water tankers. Officials informed the meeting that construction of 864 water filtration plants is currently underway across Punjab, while work on another 1,913 plants will begin soon. The chief minister directed authorities to complete 1,886 water filtration projects across the province at the earliest.
Under the pilot project, 10,000 bottles of 19-litre drinking water are being distributed free of cost in four districts. The meeting also reviewed proposals to establish 670 bottled water plants across Punjab. Of these, 335 plants will each produce 5,000 litres of clean drinking water daily, while the remaining 335 plants will have a production capacity of 10,000 litres per day.
Officials plan to establish 4,020 distribution points for the supply of bottled drinking water. During the briefing, the chief minister was informed that 860 bottles are being supplied daily in Khushab, 780 bottles in Rahim Yar Khan, 1,500 bottles to remote areas of the Koh-e-Suleman region in Dera Ghazi Khan, and 2,780 bottles in remote areas of Bahawalpur.
Maryam Nawaz directed authorities to increase the number of trucks used for delivering drinking water and reshared her commitment to ensuring clean drinking water reaches every household.
“Providing clean drinking water at people’s doorsteps is my commitment,” she said, adding that access to safe drinking water is the right of every citizen of Punjab. She promised that bottled water would be supplied wherever clean drinking water is unavailable.
The chief minister said it was painful to see women and elderly people carrying water on their heads in remote areas. She termed the non-functional status of many drinking water plants across the province “regrettable” and said the hardships faced by residents of distant areas in fetching water should come to an end.
Maryam Nawaz expressed confidence that, by the grace of Allah, the government had made it possible to deliver clean drinking water to households within a short period. She said millions of litres of bottled drinking water are now being delivered daily under the Clean Drinking Water Project, describing access to clean water as not only a public service but also a guarantee of people’s health, dignity and wellbeing.
