Punjab Governor Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar has urged the international organisations working on water issues to come forward and help the government move towards water scarcity – a matter of concern for all of us.
He was talking to Dr. Mohsin Hafeez, Country Representative in Pakistan and Central Asia, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Governor House Lahore on Friday.
The Governor said providing clean drinking water to the people is “mission of his life” and Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority has been providing clean drinking water about 8 million people of Punjab.
He said the quality of ground water is also deplorable due to poor water management “so our government is trying hard for providing standardised water as it is directly linked to public health and quality of life.”
Clean drinking water would be provided to the people at their doorsteps so that they could be protected from water-borne diseases, he added.
He then highlighted the worrisome situation for an agricultural economy like Pakistan, where the real cause of water problems is lack of data. Sarwar requested the IWMI country head to help prepare water data so that government could tackle water problems.
Taking about IWMI, the Governor appreciated IWMI’s work in Pakistan while offering full support and collaboration between Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority and IWMI Pakistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Mohsin extended his personal and IWMI’s full support towards Punjab government’s clean drinking water projects, and to oversee acute potable water supply problems in the province.
“Considering Pakistan’s acute potable water supply problems and government’s aspirations to achieve the targets for Sustainable Development Goals 6, it is high time for collaboration between Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority and IWMI Pakistan,” he stressed.
Dr. Mohsin also gave a detailed presentation regarding water issues in Punjab and intervention which could be used for the better management of both ground water and surface water.
He assured that IWMI-Pakistan would provide all research and technical support to the government for effectively tackling this challenge.
