City water supply to get Rs66m boost

LAHORE - In an attempt to mitigate water shortage in the City due to loadshedding WASA have formulated two-pronged strategy under which 69 outlived tubewells will be replaced with an amount of Rs 66 million and 140 generators will be installed on different sites to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water.
The strategy was chalked out on the directives of CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif at an emergent meeting held the other day with WASA MD Javed Iqbal, Director (operation) Imtiaz Abid, Director (Engineering) Hijaz Qureshi, Xens of 22 subdivisions and other officials in attendance.
According to WASA sources, the Punjab government has released 44 million out of total Rs 66 million for the replacement of tubewells, which were out of order after completing their physical life since a long time. WASA has awarded contract for replacement of tube wells to Frontier Works Organization (FWO) which have already been awarded all road development projects in the City.
Sources said that FWO had started its work in Shadman and Rehman Pura, while installation of 25 more tubewells will be finished by the next week.
Insider informed that CM had ordered the concerned officials to finalise the price of generators to be installed at various tubewells as soon as possible. Tubewells equipped with generators will maintain water supply round the clock without any break due to loadshedding.
He said that Wasa had 23 generators while 22 others have been acquired on rent to use them during time of power suspension. However, Wasa required 140 more generators to cope with water outages.
He said that the Wasa had floated tender to purchase the much-needed generators with capacity of 1000, 500, 300 and 200 Kilowatts. Summary has been sent to CM office for approval. But after the rates submitted by different companies were found exorbitant, the summary could not be approved, sources disclosed. “Afterwards, Punjab government formed a committee headed by Secretary Planning & Development while its other members included Secretary Finance, Secretary Housing and Urban Development and Public Health Engineering, LDA Director General and Wasa Managing Director to deal with the issue or determine the right prices. The committee decided unanimously to re-tender the project.