4,000 villagers in Thatta: SCF installs four RO plants to expand safe drinking water access

HYDERABAD: Around 4,000 villagers in coastal district Thatta will gain improved access to safe drinking water through four community-based Reverse Osmosis (RO) filtration plants installed by Sindh Community Foundation (SCF) with support from the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF).

The plants have been established in Khamiso Samo, Bodo Redhar, Suleman Samo and Adam Lashari villages of UCs Bijora and Garho under the Restoration of Social Services and Climate Change Resilience Project. The schemes were prioritized by communities through participatory Village Development Plans (VDPs).

During community gathering meetings in all four villages as part of a monitoring visit, SCF representatives reviewed the final-stage construction and installation work with Village Organizations. Community members expressed satisfaction with the quality and progress of the work and welcomed the facilities, which will soon be inaugurated and formally handed over for community use.

Javed Hussain, Executive Director of SCF, said coastal communities are increasingly affected by brackish groundwater, high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), seawater intrusion and declining freshwater availability.

“Access to safe drinking water is becoming one of the most serious challenges for coastal communities. These schemes will soon become operational and provide safe drinking water to around 4,000 villagers. There is a dire need to expand community-owned water systems to other vulnerable coastal areas of Thatta,” he said.

Yaqoob Ahmed Brohi, Project Manager, SCF, said community participation had remained central to the planning and monitoring of the schemes and would be equally important for their sustainability.

Mubarak Samo, President of the Village Organization in Khamiso Samo, said safe drinking water had been a long-standing need of the village, as women and children often travelled considerable distances to fetch water while local groundwater remained brackish.

Community representatives committed to taking responsibility for the operation, maintenance and protection of the RO plants after handover, helping ensure sustainable access to safe drinking water.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026