HYDERABAD, June 1: The storage capacity of lagoons of Wasa will be increased by 120 million gallons after desilting of the south lagoon and establishment of another one. The work will cost Rs13.103 million of the Rs120 million grant approved by the Sindh governor following water crisis last year.

Around 50,000 people of 60 villages of Hyderabad’s three talukas will also be provided water from the new water treatment plant to ensure supply of filtered water to villagers. This scheme had been proposed by MPAs from the city.

This was disclosed to journalists by DCO Mohammad Hussain Syed, Wasa officials and Muttahida Qaumi Movement MPAs Dr Arshad Shah, Naeem Ishtiaq and Aslam Pervez during a visit to ongoing development schemes under different programmes on Wednesday.

According to officials, completion of the scheme and three other schemes related to water-works will not only enhance storage capacity but also improve water quality.

Another scheme of disposal of sewage of the city being carried out under the district government’s Annual Development Programme will also be completed by December next year.

Both settlement tanks of water-works in Latifabad-4 will be made operational soon as desilting of one of them has been completed at a cost Rs9.2 million. The reservoir has a capacity of 10MGD (million gallons daily) against the requirement of 2MGD.

The DCO said the Sindh governor had directed to raise boundary walls at all water-works to check movement of animals in and around reservoirs.

He said construction of filter plants in Paretabad, Hala Naka and Latifabad-4 was also in the pipeline. He said the project would completed from a Rs1 billion grant announced by the adviser on local bodies, Waseem Akhtar.

He said desilting of one tank out of three of Hala Naka water-works, having a total capacity of 35MGD against the requirement of 8MGD, would be completed by June 10 at a cost of Rs4.739 million.

“With desilting of water-works, retention period of water will increase which will subsequently improve its quality as turbidity level in water will drop significantly,” said Wasa official Fahim Junejo. He added that chlorinators would be installed at four water reservoirs.

Under the ADP, a scheme of Northern Sewage Treatment Plant at a cost of Rs51.933 million is underway where seven additional ponds are being constructed for treatment of sewage.

The new water treatment plant’s laboratory has also been upgraded at a cost of Rs3.280 million to ensure microbiological tests of water.

With laying of a pipeline at a cost of Rs5.384 million from the water treatment plant to 60 villages, people will get filtered water. The work will be completed by mid-June.

Renovation and repair work at the water treatment plant at a cost of Rs6.5 million is also under way where clarifiers are being desilted.