The Public Health Engineering Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa During the last three years has completed 140 clean water supply schemes whereas under the umbrella project, 242 new water supply systems were installed throughout the province.
Additionally, rusted and worn out pipelines were also replaced in 485 water supply schemes whereas 253 existing non-functional schemes were made functional throughout the province.
More than 50% of diseases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are caused by drinking of contaminated water which sometimes leads to fatal diseases. The purpose of initiating such large number schemes in drinking waters is also to protect the people from water-borne diseases.
Moreover, a total of 130 water supply schemes have been solarized whereas work on polarisation of further 200 water supply schemes is in progress. Under the umbrella project 233 sanitation schemes were also completed throughout the province.
The provincial government has also established water quality monitoring laboratories in District Mardan, Abbotabad, Kohat and DI Khan. In the year 2013-14, an amount of Rs 3281.758 million was allocated by the government for 22 developmental projects aimed at improving access to clean drinking water in the province. In the year 2014-15, Rs 5851 million was allocated for 26 projects whereas in the year 2015-16, Rs 7360 million were allocated for 93 developmental projects. In order to promote awareness among masses of the province, health hygiene promotion project has been completed successfully.
The awareness project has helped to educate people and govt officers on the harms of unhygienic water and methods necessary to ensure access to clean drinking water.
The provincial government also plans to launch greater water supply scheme for the provincial capital for which the feasibility study has been completed. Another project by the name of "gravity flow" has been completed in Abbotabad whereas work on gravity flow projects in Drosh Qasba and Batkhela is under way.
Under the gravity flow system, water will be supplied from source to the community without the use of any external energy. Majority of the mentioned schemes have been carried out in areas which had no access to clean water including Lakki Marwat, Shangla and Lower Dir. In addition to the mentioned reforms, the govt also plans to improve the state of drainage system in the province. Master planning is under way to avoid pollution of groundwater by construction of drainage system for backward areas.