The Punjab government has decided to rehabilitate 662 dysfunctional rural water supply schemes at the cost of Rs8.2 billion to provide clean drinking and access to piped water to the rural households in various districts.
This project of Physical Planning & Housing (PPH) Sector was approved in the 12th meeting of Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) of current fiscal year 2018-19 presided over by Chairman P&D Habib ur Rehman Gilani here on Tuesday.
Officials told Business Recorder that presently there are 4662 total rural supply schemes in Punjab maintained by Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED); of these schemes 3051 are functional while the rest 1611 are dysfunctional.
As a result of this dysfunctional, the 18% of population remains un-served in Punjab in addition to un-served areas where PHED is not present and people do not have access to clean drinking water. They said that major repair of machinery was the single most important factor of dysfunctionality of rural water supply schemes. Nonpayment of WAPDA dues and theft of machinery/transformer has increased dysfunctionality of water supply schemes. According to Punjab Economic Research Institute report, more then 65% of schemes are dysfunctional in Bhakkar and Jhang.
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