CM sets June 27 deadline for 5,734 water filtration plants in Punjab

LAHORE, Oct 25 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has set June 2027 as the deadline for completion of 5,734 water filtration plants across the province, directing the relevant assistant commissioners to monitor their functioning and maintenance. Chairing a special meeting of the Punjab Saaf Pani Authority here on Sunday, she directed the establishment of public committees under the supervision of assistant commissioners to oversee water filtration plants located in streets and neighbourhoods. It was also decided to establish mobile maintenance units in every tehsil to ensure the timely repair and restoration of the plants. The mobile workshops will be equipped with plumbers and other technical staff. The CM also approved a Last-Mile Water Supply Project to provide drinking water to the most affected areas of Chakwal, Rajanpur and Rawalpindi. She directed that water supply schemes covering 256 kilometres in Chakwal and 1,780 kilometres in Rajanpur be prioritised. CM Maryam Nawaz was given a detailed briefing on the water bottling plants operating in four districts including Khushab, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur. The meeting was informed that the plants were producing 10,000 bottles of 19 litres each daily. Under the Chief Minister's Water Bottling Project, around 4.8 million people have benefited in a short period, while more than 75,000 bottles of drinking water have been delivered to households, according to the briefing. The CM said access to clean drinking water was the right of every citizen and assured that every individual would be provided with safe drinking water. She said she was grateful that Punjab had, for the first time, undertaken an initiative to deliver clean drinking water directly to people's homes. 'After Chakwal, Rajanpur and Rawalpindi, water supply schemes will also be introduced in other areas,' she said, adding that people would no longer have to travel miles to fetch drinking water.