KARACHI, June 2: The Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad, on Friday ordered a survey of the sources of drinking water and their quality throughout the province including the rural areas.

He expressed his determination of fulfilling the mission, as per directives of President Pervez Musharraf, for supply of safe drinking water by 2007.

He was chairing a high-level meeting held at the Governor’s House in which ongoing steps for supply of safe drinking water were reviewed.

The meeting was attended by the Sindh Adviser on Environment and Alternate Energy, Noman Saigol, Federal Secretary for Environment Sharif Khan, Governor's Principal Secretary Muhammad Salim Khan, Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Ghulam Sarwar Khero, Secretary Local Governments Ishaque Lashari, and other senior officials.The meeting was informed that the programme for supply of safe drinking water consisted of three phases.

In the first phase, work was to be undertaken in 119 town municipal administrations of the province at a cost of Rs495 million. Work has been completed in 38 TMAs while it would soon be completed in others.

In the second phase, the programme will be implemented in 1,108 union councils at a cost of Rs3 billion while in the third phase, safe water will be supplied in areas and villages with a population of over 1,000.

Stressing the need for fast implementation of the project, the governor called for maintaining a regular and effective monitoring system.

The governor asked the project heads to expedite work and to evolve a system of continuous monitoring in this regard.

He also directed that provincial implementation unit, steering committee and procurement committees should be made functional as well.

Five different options have been considered for the programme worked out in view of the water contamination level in different areas.

Ibad made it clear that supply of safe drinking water was the basic need of every citizen and steps in that direction that would greatly help control gastroenteritis and other diseases.

Besides treatment, it is imperative to take care of hygienic principles, adopt preventive measures, and establish a healthy environment, he said.

He said that initially, safe drinking water plants would be installed at all 132 water pumping stations in Karachi. Work has already started at five places in Lyari.—APP