CHAKWAL: Even after a lofty promise made by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the provision of clean drinking water to the citizens of Chakwal city remains a distant dream as a mega water project has been put in the doldrums.

The scheme, which was approved by the chief minister in April 2015 and scheduled to be completed by 2018 at a cost of 547.63 million, has now been revised, taking the cost to Rs957.74 million.

But the revised project is yet to be approved by the chairman Planning and Development Board Punjab.

The city is witnessing a severe shortage of drinking water at a time when the provincial minister for housing and urban development/public health engineering (HUD & PHE), Malik Tanvir Aslam Awan, belongs to Chakwal. It is his ministry which is responsible for providing drinking water to the citizens. Besides other districts, he has launched numerous water supply schemes in his own constituency of PP-22.

Urban water supply scheme approved in 2015 was to be ready by 2018 but later project was revised and the cost increased to Rs957.7m

The city is currently getting three cusecs of water against its actual need for nine cusecs.

During his election campaign, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif promised at a public rally in Chakwal on May 7, 2013, that a university, a modern hospital and a water supply scheme would be launched for the city. Now as Mr Sharif’s government is about to complete its three years in power, all the three promises remain to be fulfilled.

The Punjab government approved the “urban water supply scheme” for Chakwal on April 3, 2014, which had to be completed in three years at a cost of Rs547.63 million. When the project was approved, PML-N MPA Chaudhry Liaquat Ali and his wife MNA Iffat Liaquat Ali took it as their biggest achievement.

According to the project, two cusecs of water was to be fetched from the scenic Khai Dam while four cusecs from 16 tubewells which were to be installed in the vicinity of the Bhoun village.

But soon after launching work on the project last year, the authorities had to abandon it as the residents of Bhoun and adjacent villages filed a writ petition with the Lahore High Court requesting the court to refrain the departments concerned from installing the tubewells near the village.

They were of the view that once operational the tubewells would reduce the water level in the area and cause a severe water shortage.

The court referred the matter to the secretary Public Health Engineering with a direction to redress the issue.

After hearing the complainants, the Public Health Department decided to drop the idea of getting four cusecs of water from the proposed 16 tubewells and found an alternative way of drawing four cusecs of water from Dharabi Dam as the dam’s catchment area lies in front of Rahna Sadaat village which is located near the Bhoun village.

Thus the scheme was revised and the initial cost of Rs547.63 million was increased to Rs957.74 million.

Officials fear that the scheme would not see the light of the day due to the increased cost.

“The scheme is very huge. The homework on it has not been done in a manner as it should have been done. I fear that the scheme would not be completed. If the desired funds are issued, they are likely to be wasted due to the improper homework,” said an official of HUD & PHE department.

Talking to Dawn, Executive Engineer of PHE department Chakwal Raja Shehzad Ahmed claimed that funds for the revised scheme would be released soon. “The revised scheme was prepared with the consent of the politicians concerned,” he added.

When contacted, Provincial Minister Tanvir Aslam Awan said neither the concerned politicians and lawmakers nor any member from civil society had approached him for the scheme. “Politics should not be involved at least in the provision of drinking water as it is the basic need of the citizens,” he said.

MNA Iffat Liaquat Ali claimed that work on the water supply scheme would begin soon. “We are trying our best to get the funds approved as we are aware of the problem being faced by the citizens,” she maintained.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2016