CDWA still a pipe dream

Despite all the pious and 'pure' intentions of top government figures, clean drinking water for all seems to have become a pipe dream. Our taps will continue to bring in contaminated water for quite a while.

And what are government functionaries worried about - why has the project been given to the other ministry. The 'Clean Drinking Water for All' project bears a price tag of Rs. 8.0 billion. No wonder no body would want it to go away.

It was due to slow pace of work in the first 20 months or so that Prime Minster Shaukat Aziz (on presedential directives) transferred the project from the Environment Ministry to Ministry of Industries and Production. The former, now headed by Faisal Saleh Hayat, wants it back.

The situation has put even government officials in embarrassing situation and they concede that the project is heading nowhere. It was no less a person than Engr. Dr. Aklram Shaikh, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, and a confidant of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who had to admit the progress was tardy.

Speaking at the recent launch of a UN report on the subject, he said, 'we would soon be getting more contaminated water in our taps'.

'The project is suffering from management issues,' and the scheme needs a second look.

Almost 118,000 persons, most of them childern, die annually (323 daily) in Pakistan due to unclean water and poor sanitation. Under the project initiated in 2004, a total of 7,044 filtration plants worth Rs. 8 billion (average Rs. 1.136 million per plant) were to be installed countrywide by 2007. So far, in about 30 months, only about 550 plants (less than 8%) have been installed.

In the meantime drinking water contamination in all major and minor cities has become a serious problem for local governments. But most of them neither have the funds nor technical competence to handle the predicament.

According to independent estimates, patients suffering from water related diseases occupy more than 50 % hospital beds across the country.

Embarrassment to the officials was caused by this year's UNDP report on human development titled 'Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis'. It focuses on availability, use and politics of water.

UNDP's Assistant Resident Representative Arif Allaudin said the report is explicit. It is clear that 'we are in a crisis in water and sanitation that overwhelmingly affects the poor'.

The report states that unclean water poses a constant threat to public health across Pakistan and the issue was so severe that the government had to launch a major investment to finance water filtration plants.

In the first half of 2006, major outbreaks of water-borne epidemics swept some major urban centres of the country. Engr. Dr. Shaikh conceded that the project was not going the way the government had intended to.

He agreed that the project cannot provide clean water to entire population but he also argued that the project could not be given up for the sake of the population benefiting from these.

However, according to the PC head 'filtration plants are not 'the ultimate solution'. This is only a pilot program, short-term measures. The government had to make a start from somewhere. Private sector and local governments will have to pick up from here, he added.

He ruled out any replacement of the dilapidated supply infrastructure - the main source of contamination - for being too expensive. Winding up the discussion on filtration plants, Engr. Shaikh advised the critics to adopt 'a more constructive attitude rather than being over critical'.

The project had not been running very well over the last 15 months. Hence the decision to give it to Ministry of Industries. But it came to a standstill as a result of the April 25, 2006 changes in the federal cabinet. Faisal Saleh Hayat, the new Minister of Environment wants it back.

And though the change had taken place in early 2006, the project was (in November 2006) still in the process of being handed over to Industries Ministry. The officials would like one to believe it would 'soon' be operational. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

There is another optimistic development in the works. There is a 'drinking water policy' coming up. Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA) is currently busy consulting experts on the matter. Officials believe it will be summed up as a national policy by early January 2007.

The policy will be presented to the federal cabinet for approval and enforcement. One must pray for things to go as planned because according to some experts, preparing one uniform policy for 160 million people living in large cities, towns, villages and in arid lands and mountains is not an easy task.

According to some insiders the policy will also address the question whether clean drinking water is a basic human right or a social and economic good like food.

Policy writers are also debating whether Pakistan should adopt World Health Organization guidelines on drinking water standards immediately or gradually? A key WHO guideline is that water can be termed safe if no faecal coliform bacteria is detected in any 100 mili liter sample.

Some argue that a WHO guideline establishes the benchmark, which must not be compromised. Others say 'what is not practical, is not useful'.

After the national drinking water policy is in place, the government might be able to handle this project more effectively.

It was not immediately known as to where the policy authors propose to place the responsibility of providing clean drinking water. Will they propose to make Islamabad responsible for it? Or will it be provincial governments? or the city/local governments?

Drinking water, all over the world, is a municipal matter and so has been the case in Pakistan too. It was not known as to why the Rs. 8.0 billion project was allowed to become an Islamabad baby.

Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Agency, Lahore is arranging to supply clean water from all its 400 tube-wells in the city hopefully by early 2007.

But rest of Punjab is certainly not as lucky. Out of the 115 filter plants installed so far, more than half are not functioning at all. Many of the remaining have minor and major defects.

According to officials, situation in other provinces was even worse. Punjab , despite shortcomings, was far well placed, said one.

A big reason for plants not working is the ineptness of their suppliers and operators. The firms did not have any previous experience of such a project.

Even after installation of the plants, availability of clean water will remain doubtful. Pipe networks in most places are rusted and broken. According to a senior official, water is obtained from shallow depths. According to WHO, water found below 500ft is fit for human consumption.

Besides, no one tests the quality of water because there is no laboratory to check it. 'Installing treatment plants without addressing these issues is like treating cancer with aspirin,' an official said.

According to the plan presently suffering from intra-cabinet tussles, the federal government is to bear maintenance cost of all filter plants in the first three years. Local councils will pay for power and staff wages. Maintenance too will go to them after three years.

However, the poor financial health of many a district, tehsil and union councils could be a stumbling block.