Water filtration plant inaugurated

LAHORE
WWF-Pakistan in collaboration with multinational companies inaugurated the first water filtration plant in Lahore’s Basti Saidan Shah inside Pir Saidan Shah’s Darbar, a community space for the colony as a part of their project ‘Increasing the Supply and Access to Safe Drinking Water in Lahore, Pakistan.’
The plant was inaugurated by Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan. Community members of Basti Saidan Shah also participated in the event. Speaking on the occasion, Hammad Naqi Khan said, ‘WWF is committed to protecting the freshwater resources of the country and improve water access, efficiency, and allocation for people and the environment. The majority of our people still have no access to safe drinking water and therefore we support programmes and partnerships which aim to address this massive challenge’.
Zafar Abbas Jafri, representative of the multinational said, ‘Providing local communities with access to safe drinking water is a critical issue in Pakistan. We at CCBPL care about the needs of communities and support solutions that are responsive to these needs. Our goal is to be a reliable partner in finding solutions to common problems. This water filtration plant has been built with the contribution of CCBPL in partnership with WWF-Pakistan to provide clean drinking water to the residents of Basti Saidan Shah in Lahore’.
Ali Hasnain Sayed, Project Manager, WWF-Pakistan said, ‘The project aims to install 14 more water filtration plants in low-lying areas of Lahore to provide clean and safe drinking water to the citizens of Lahore’. He added that the project put particular emphasis on the sustainability of the water filtration plants. ‘WWF-Pakistan is empowering communities living in these areas to take ownership of the plants, which will promote sustainability at large.’
A water testing survey of Basti Saidan Shah was conducted prior to the installation of the filtration plant, which showed the presence of higher arsenic levels than World Health Organisation (WHO) standards in the area. The water filtration plant will provide access to clean drinking water to almost 9,000 locals daily which will not only improve living standards of the communities but also reduce the prevalence of waterborne diseases in the area.
The installation of the filtration plant was accompanied by an awareness drive consisting of various activities in local schools and capacity building seminars for the local community. People were made aware of the water woes of Pakistan and discussed ways in which sustainable use of this precious recourse could be promoted. On behalf of the local community of Basti Saidan Shah, Rana Sajjad, Caretaker, Darbar Pir Saidan Shah, thanked WWF-Pakistan for installing the filtration plant in their area.